Resistance
by danniperson
Summary: Creating Soul Bonds with your soul mate can strengthen your magic greatly...but is it worth the cost of committing yourself to your so-called other half if you hate them? AU
1. Introduction

**INTRODUCTION**

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><p>On Halloween night, 1981, Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow to kill Harry. Instead of killing James and Lily, he used his magic to cast them aside instead. He still held onto hopes of making some use of them and only truly needed Harry to die. Voldemort cast the Killing Curse upon Harry only to have it rebound. Death Eaters swarmed the house after this with the intentions of capturing the Potter family and taking them to a prison they had built in a desolate place to keep enemies. They easily took the unconscious bodies of James and Lily, but before they could take Harry, the Order of the Phoenix arrived. Those carrying James and Lily quickly Disapparated and left their fellows to attempt to ward off the Order. There were not many of them, though, and with the disappearance of their master, many fled.<p>

Albus Dumbledore commanded that Harry was to be sent to live with his only living relatives, his aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley. Sirius was sent to Azkaban at the time for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and as his godfather, was unable to care for Harry. Remus Lupin, Sirius's best friend, knew that Sirius had not committed the murder, and spent a great deal of time trying to prove his friend's innocence, though not many were willing to listen to a werewolf and there was not much proof that proved otherwise. Under the belief that James and Lily could still be alive, a lot of time and effort was spent looking for them, but the longer they went without being found, the less and less people began to do.

Seven years later, when Harry was eight, James and Lily Potter, Frank and Alice Longbottom, and a few other Order members reentered society. James and Lily immediately returned to their old home with a young child in tow, a four year old girl named Grace, who was their daughter born in captivity. Upon not seeing their son, they ran down the streets of Godric's Hollow screaming out for him. When they were found, the group was taken to St. Mungo's for evaluation. Frank and Alice Longbottom were said to be insane beyond hope while James and Lily were made to stay in the mental health unit for a year, recovering from the physical and mental shock and damage of all they had been through while in prison. Being so young, Grace's memory was wiped and manipulated so that she had no recollections of her time in the prison and instead remembers a relatively boring childhood in the hospital she and her parents were in.

Harry was nine the time James, Lily, and Grace were released and they took him from the care of the Dursleys. Horrified by the state their son was found in, Lily and Petunia fought and James nearly cursed the family, though his wife was able to stop him (to avoid her husband having to suffer in Azkaban). The family moved back to Godric's Hollow and restored their home. It was an adjustment for all of them, but the family grew to know one another and fall into a happy life. James and Lily worked hard to release Sirius from Azkaban by offering proof that Peter Pettigrew was alive and well and had been one of their guards at the Death Eater prison.

Upon learning that Severus Snape changed sides and turned spy shortly before the attack at Godric's Hollow, Lily Potter eventually confronted Severus about their past and was able to forgive him and the two resumed their friendship, though it has been decidedly more awkward and they are less close than they used to be due to Lily's marriage to Severus's worst enemy.

The Potters, while residing in the Wizarding world, spent a great deal of time either in their home or exploring the Muggle world. Too many people paid them too much attention, especially Harry who was the Boy Who Lived. Mostly, Lily and James liked to remain in their home and away from society, especially as Lily was prone to panic attacks in large crowds and James was overly paranoid around other people. It was a habit they steadily began to break over the years.

_**For Harry's first year…**_

His mother bought him Hedwig. The Potter family and their closest friends celebrated Harry getting into Hogwarts. At King's Cross Lily and James were highly paranoid about being around so many people and letting Harry go, though Remus and Sirius were there for moral support. Neville was the only person Harry knew going into school because he had gone with his parents to visit Alice and Frank now and then when Augusta and Neville had been there. They sit together on the train and Ron Weasley eventually joins them.

At Hogwarts, Draco wants to be Harry's friend, but when the boy insults Ron and Neville, Harry gets upset and denies him. Hogwarts is something new and special to Harry, who had barely seen much magic even at home because of the issues his parents had suffered. He hated Potions, though, and Snape. The teacher obviously didn't like him, though Harry didn't understand why. Snape always found reasons to punish Harry. He couldn't understand it, but when he wrote home about it his mother fussed at him about getting in trouble, saying that Snape was his teacher and was only following rules. His father had sneaked in his own letter saying that Snape was a bitter old bastard who hated the Potters.

His mother especially didn't like it when Harry accused Snape of trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Harry decided then to stop telling his parents things. His father sent him his Invisibility Cloak for Christmas and mentioned wishing he still had the Marauder's Map to give him. Harry made friends with Ron and Hermione, though he was still close to Neville from their time together over the years. Ron and Hermione had become his best friends, though.

At the end of the year, Harry saved the Philosopher's Stone and woke up in the hospital wing to his terrified parents. Lily was worried about letting him return for his second year and contemplated homeschooling him where he would be safe, but Harry begged them to let him come back and Dumbledore managed to calm down his concerned parents.

_**Harry's second year…**_

Dobby starts creating all sorts of problems at home for Harry. Lily and James at first assume it is troublesome Grace until signs start to point towards Harry. Lily questions whether he should go back to Hogwarts, especially when Harry tells them about Dobby and they assume he's making things up. James uses his Auror training to catch Dobby and they believe him near the end of summer. Lily apologizes to Harry for acting a bit crazy and explains that it's hard for her to trust anyone but herself with her children and hard to feel safe. Harry promises to stay out of trouble.

For the last two weeks of summer, Harry stays with the Weasleys at the Burrow. The Weasleys take him with their family to King's Cross, but he and Ron get locked out of the barrier. James and Lily show up in time before they can steal Arthur's car, as they didn't want Harry to leave without saying goodbye. They end up escorting the two to Hogwarts. At school, Harry notices how much Snape and James dislike each other. Harry also thinks its weird how warm Snape is to Lily. The run in with Snape distracted everyone enough for Grace to run off. Harry goes with his mother to find her and they run into Lockhart when they get back to the entrance hall. Lockhart flirts with Lily which makes Snape and James both upset, but they are pleased when Lily snaps at him. Grace fawns over Lockhart and her parents drag her out of the castle before she can get an autograph.

When Lucius Malfoy buys the whole Slytherin team the newest brooms on the market, Harry complains about it in a letter to home and comments that Gryffindor would still beat them because they had better players. James ends up splurging and sending the whole Gryffindor team new brooms, too, and encouragement to make the Slytherins suffer an awful defeat. When Harry breaks his arm fighting a rogue Bludger and Lockhart makes his bones disappear, Lily sends the professor a Howler.

Harry eventually saves Ginny's life in the Chamber of Secrets and is thanked profusely by the Weasleys. His own parents are too happy about his escapades and Harry overhears a comment from his mother about "…if he keeps this up, I'll end up back in the mental ward at St. Mungo's! I hope Alice and Frank miss us, Jamie." Harry was a bit disturbed by how emotional his parents were, but when they realized his reaction, Lily and James promised him that they were trying to get better.

_**Harry's third year…**_

Over summer, Harry hears about a group of Death Eaters that were captured, only one escaping the clutches of the Aurors: Regulus Black. Dementors were sent to guard Hogwarts and it was Grace's first year. Grace was Sorted into Gryffindor, Remus started to teach Defense, and Lily and James were taken into protective care by the Ministry until Regulus was caught. Lily and James refused to sign permission for Harry to go to Hogsmeade, but the Weasley twins give him the Marauder's Map. Harry feels like he should know what it is, but doesn't remember the mention of it his dad made in his Christmas letter last year.

Even more suspicious of his parents' odd behavior, Harry asks Remus when the man offers to give him lessons in producing a Patronus. Remus gives only vague information and encourages him to let his parents deal with their problems before they talk to him about it.

At the end of the year Harry and his friends follow Scabbers into the Shrieking Shack and hide in shock as Scabbers turns into Peter Pettigrew who is meeting Regulus Black. Peter mentions being glad to have an old friend around while Regulus reveals that he betrayed the Dark Lord in the end and that he will turn in Peter. James, Sirius, and Remus all show up by this point and as the three Marauders go to attack Peter and Regulus, Harry stops them and quickly assures them of Regulus's innocence. Snape appears towards the end and Harry and his friends have to stop the adults from fighting. Snape reluctantly helps them escort Peter out of the shack until the full moon causes Remus to change. Sirius changes into Padfoot to control the werewolf, James runs after the children to move them away, but Snape ends up having to save them all when James isn't paying enough attention and ends up getting hurt and is almost bitten by Remus. Regulus managed to pull him away in time. Peter, unfortunately, escaped. The chaos distracts the Ministry from doing its job in executing Buckbeak and while the Ministry officials are otherwise occupied, Sirius helps his brother escape on Buckbeak. James covers up for Remus and claims that he and his friends had shown up because they suspected Peter Pettigrew of being around. James and Harry help bring Snape to the infirmary, but the man isn't at all grateful when he wakes up. Remus resigns when the news of his lycanthropy gets out and Harry assures him that he doesn't care that Remus is a werewolf and that he still likes him all the same.

_**Harry's fourth year…**_

During the summer, James and Lily seemed much better than normal and even ventured into the wizarding parts of the world more than they normally did. James even invited Harry and all of his friends to the Quidditch World Cup, an event Harry enjoyed a great deal. That was until the Death Eaters showed up and the Dark Mark was cast into the sky.

Returning to Hogwarts they learned that they would be hosting the Triwizard Tournament with people from other schools would arrive to compete. It was exciting for the whole school, especially Harry until his name came out of the Goblet of Fire as the fourth contestant. Ron was furious with him and ignored him for a while, only making up after the first task. Meanwhile, Hermione and Neville stood by his side while most of the student body hated him, believing he had put his name in. His parents were mad, writing many angry letters and even sending one Howler before coming to the school to try to get him out of it, but were unable to do so. Harry was upset that they didn't believe him and wrote to Sirius about his problems. Eventually Sirius convinced James and Lily of his innocence and his parents apologized. During the second task, Grace managed to steal a phial of Polyjuice Potion an older student had been working on to attempt to go in Harry's place, but Harry managed to beat her to it, leaving Grace to deal with the consequences of her actions.

For the final task, Harry narrowly beat Cedric in winning, though he was taken by Portkey to a graveyard where Wormtail used him to help resurrect Voldemort. Harry just narrowly avoids being killed and returns to Hogwarts. He was very badly injured, though the other contestants were in worse condition. Moody led him back to the castle where it was revealed that he was actually a Death Eater called Barty Crouch Jr. They find the real Moody and attempt to keep Crouch Jr. to wait for the Aurors to arrive, but he ended up escaping them with the help of another Death Eater Polyjuiced as a young Slytherin student.

When leaving for home, Harry gave the prize money to the Weasley twins so that they could fulfill their dream of owning a joke shop. Back at home Harry realizes that the Ministry refuses to believe that Voldemort is back, though his parents believe him. He starts to worry about them with their depressed states with the news, both seeming to fall into a relapse of their old mental health problems, but they manage to stay strong when they see how scared Harry and Grace are. James and Lily swear they won't let the past bring them down and that they'll stick by them and fight to make sure that Voldemort and the Death Eaters do no more damage to their family.

_**Harry's fifth year…**_

Halfway through summer, a run in with an "ex" Death Eater sends Lily into a state of distress that sends her and James both back to St. Mungo's temporarily, leaving Harry and Grace to spend half of their summer with their aunt, uncle, and cousin. Harry is moody over the fact that Voldemort is back, no one acknowledging it, and his powerless feeling, especially resentment towards his parents for breaking their promise. One night while walking back home with Grace and Dudley, they are attacked by Dementors which Harry wards off with a Patronus. Harry is expelled for using magic, his aunt and uncle are furious thinking that Harry used magic to put Dudley in the upset state the Dementors had left him in, and Grace screams at them for their awful treatment and that Harry had saved their lives. Harry and Grace are locked in their room for a few hours until they are rescued by a group known as the Order of the Phoenix and taken to Sirius's house where they remain for the rest of summer. Harry is furious that no one has told him anything and is cold towards his parents when they finally return. Only a heart to heart with his mother shortly before his trial was Harry able to forgive them, supposing he couldn't understand how hard it had been on his parents all that time. With Dumbledore's help at his disciplinary hearing, Harry is cleared of all charges and is able to somewhat enjoy the remainder of the holidays.

Back at Hogwarts they learn that Dolores Umbridge, a worker of Fudge's, is their new DADA teacher. Many of Harry's classmates whisper behind his back, thinking he is crazy for his accusations and wanting attention. Umbridge turns out to be a horrible teacher, refusing to hear a word about Voldemort, and punishes students using a quill that carves into their skin, leaving Harry with a scar reading _I must not tell lies_. To help prepare his classmates, Harry creates the DA (Dumbledore's Army) to help teach them Defense. Meanwhile, Umbridge begins pushing for more and more "educational decrees" to keep Hogwarts under her thumb, eventually finding out about the DA and getting Dumbledore sacked, though he escapes arrest.

Harry begins having dreams about the Department of Mysteries and even has a vision of Arthur Weasley being attacked by Nagini. Dumbledore pushes Harry to have Occlumency lessons with Snape, which he is awful at and Snape treats him horribly during them. It is especially bad when Harry peaks into Snape's Pensieve and sees his father and godfather tormenting Snape. When the man finds out he is furious and sends Harry off. When he confronts James and Sirius about it, they seem contrite, knowing there was no good excuse for their actions, though they maintain that they still don't and never will like Snape. Lily comes in as well, assuring Harry that they were awful boys, but changed for the better and were now great men.

The time to take their OWLs arrives and during one exam Harry has a vision about Sirius being tortured and killed by Voldemort. Unable to contact his godfather or his parents, he and his friends attempt to help but are stalled by Umbridge and her Squad. His friends show up shortly after and help him escape before they use Thestrals to fly to the Ministry of Magic where they encounter Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. They run all through the Department of Mysteries fighting off the Death Eaters until the Order arrives as backup, helping them all escape. Fudge and other Ministry employees arrive in time to see Voldemort and the Death Eaters, forcing them to acknowledge that Harry was right. James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus all fuss at Harry for running into this blindly, though they are mostly grateful that he is alive. Lily especially seems to feel empowered after having the chance to fight one of her captors, nearly killing her before they all ran off. Dumbledore later has a talk with Harry, telling him about the prophecy made about him. The feeling of responsibility of this "destiny" upsets Harry more than ever, though he is also determined to see it through.

While going back home, Kingsley stops James to make a comment about being careful about interfering with Muggles leading Harry and Grace to believe the Durselys had been punished for their awful treatment of them the few weeks they were at Privet Drive.

_**Harry's sixth year…**_

Dumbledore tried to use Harry to convince an old colleague to return to Hogwarts. Horace Slughorn agreed, but was captured before he could teach. Unable to find another Potions master, Dumbledore was forced to give the DADA position to someone else, a foreign witch that no one could understand all that well and who jumped at her own shadow. Harry began feeling very suspicious of Draco and Snape but everyone told him he was being paranoid, except for James who encouraged Harry to find out all he could about both. He is also given lessons by Dumbledore to learn about Voldemort. Their DADA professor, who had taught Arithmancy at the time Slughorn had been Potions master, is able to give Harry information that helps prove that Voldemort used Horcruxes. Strange happenings occur, many of them very dangerous, which Harry believes were murder attempts, though everyone tries telling him otherwise. At the end of the year, Draco fails to help the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, though they gather just outside of the gates. Teachers and students alike were forced to ward them off when some of the Death Eater's children attempted to help them into the castle. Harry later learns that Snape was meant to kill Dumbledore to save Draco from having to do so and gets the chance to help Dumbledore find and destroy one of the Horcruxes. Feeling finally closer to the end of this, Harry decides to dedicate himself to finding and destroying Horcruxes, learning as much as he can about them so that they can be rid of Voldemort as soon as possible.

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><p><strong>AN: **Unbeta-ed and crappy, but does it's job!


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter Seven: Soul Bonds<strong>_

_The concept of soul mates has been romanticized for centuries. Your soul mate is said to be your one true love, your other half, the one person in the world made just for you, your destiny, and many other things. The truth of the matter is much more complicated and serious than such starry-eyed theories. People can live their whole lives without finding their soul mate. They can fall in love with other people, leading perfectly happy, healthy, and fulfilled lives. The majority of people in the world have survived in such a way. It's a very rare occurrence that someone does find their soul mate, let alone develop enough of a relationship with this person to fall in love, ending up with their happily ever after._

_Having a soul mate does not have to dictate your life. If one were to find their soul mate, they would not be required to marry this person. They would not have to get to know them or spend any time with them at all. Popular misconceptions are that soul mates must marry or maintain a strong relationship throughout their lives, have intercourse, and will die without said person. Having a soul mate does not keep you from loving or having sex with someone else. Not all soul mates are meant for romantic relationships, though most known accounts have been such a thing. In theory, soul mates can go down a path of friendship and family-like behavior. While not a requirement, if given the chance, soul mates can create some of the strongest relationships, be it romantic or platonic._

_The idea of soul mates comes from the realization that particular persons are incredibly compatible on several levels. If, given time and care, soul mates can connect on mental, emotional, soul, magical, and, sometimes, even physical levels. The term soul mates comes from the realization that the pair's soul patterns were identical and upon nearness, would even reach out to one another and when carefully examined, the patterns of each complete the other.. Later observations recognized many other effects, such as the strengthening of the magical core, in Wizarding persons, the highest level of physical awareness for each other. There is also a strong mental connection where the mates are more easily able to perform mind magic on one another, read one another's futures, and accurately guess where their mate's mind is. There is also a strong emotional connection and the mates can more easily guess the emotional state of their mate and how to help them, and a stronger ability to understand their mate better than most._

_Soul mates, for all intents and purposes, can 'better' their counterpart. If they can build a strong and healthy relationship, they can improve one another in many different ways. The favorite, and most notable change, is the strengthening of the magical core._

_There is only one way to boost a witch or wizard's level of power higher than developing a close relationship with their soul mate. Only a Soul Bond can push a witch or wizard's power to its highest level, developing as much as that witch or wizard's magic is capable of. We must make the point that Soul Bonds will__not__make a person all-powerful. Soul mates cannot share their gifts or magic, though their own power will help to boost the magic of their partner. Soul mates cannot read the minds or emotions of their mates in a literal sense, lest with the use of Legilimency. Popular beliefs holds many assumptions about Soul Bonds but it's not quite as condemning or advancing as many might fear or hope._

_It is true, however, that there have not been enough cases of soul mates, and even fewer cases of Soul Bonds, so the full effects may not be yet known. What__is__known, however, is that only soul mates can create Soul Bonds because only soul mates have souls compatible enough to bond. Soul Bonds can also not be broken without doing unspeakable damage to the souls, the magical core, and even mental stability in some cases._

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><p>"I believe you can stop there, Lily," said Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, interrupting the red haired woman as she flipped the page in the book <em>Magical Bonding: Past, Present, and Future<em>. Lily looked grateful then took a sip from her glass of water and closed the book. "There is no need to discuss the process of Soul Bonds just yet. I assume we all now have a clear idea about soul mates and Soul Bonding?"

The headmaster looked down the long dining room table at the members of the Order of the Phoenix. Some looked bored from all of the reading and seemed to just now be tuning into the conversation. Others looked confused and expectant as they looked back to Dumbledore. Only the man to his right, Severus Snape, looked sour and as though he wished to be anywhere but here. He was one of only a handful who knew where this conversation was headed and he didn't like it one bit.

To Severus Snape, the idea of _soul mates_ and _Soul Bonding_ was ridiculous. It could only lead to more trouble than any good it could do. There were plenty of relationships this type of knowledge could ruin. What expectations people might have with their old romantic thinking of soul mates could only bring trouble. Even reading this text would, undoubtedly, not faze particular persons. He had learned _that_ lesson the hard way.

Three years ago he was approached by his colleague, Aurora Sinistra, with hopes of meeting a friend of hers and the prospect of earning money. He was introduced to a woman named Sharon Charles who was desperate to find her soul mate and, hearing of Severus's many talents, hoped he might find a way to find her other half. Aurora tried introducing her to Sybill Trelawney but Sharon thought the woman to be a fraud and hoped of a more 'practical' means of finding _the one_. After three long years of research, Severus finally developed a method of magically locating one's soul mate. It wasn't necessarily simple, but it did work. When he showed Sharon how to do it, the woman had been thrilled. According to Aurora, weeks after the fact, Sharon had found that her soul mate had died two years previously and she committed suicide over his grave in hopes of finally being with her one true love.

It was a foolishly romantic tale and Severus hardly had the patience for such fools.

"What exactly are you asking here, Dumbledore?" inquired Mad Eye Moody, eyeing the Bonding book suspiciously.

Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. "Well, Alastor, our dear Severus has developed a method for one to discover their soul mate." Severus rolled his eyes and shot a glare down the table as Potter and Black snickered, nudging each other. Severus could only imagine what they would think of that but he told himself he didn't care. He didn't give a damn about soul mates so, undoubtedly, anything their pea brains came up with was bound to be false. "He was paid a great sum of money for this project by one Sharon Charles-"

"The woman who killed herself on Donna Meyers's husband's grave?" Black asked.

"-and the product has proven quite successful, if I do say so myself," Dumbledore said with a sad smile, ignoring Black's question. "Now, to the reason I called this meeting… With Voldemort growing stronger by the day, I thought it might be of interest for you in finding ways of advancing your own powers in a stable manner. I'll not require it of you, as I am aware of the complications that can arise or the uncertainty and fear of venturing into this mostly unknown branch of magic. For those of you who choose this path, however, you will have the opportunity to explore the benefits of creating a relationship with your soul mate, or even performing the Soul Bond, for those of you so inclined. We can learn a great deal about this subject from those who elect to participate in this project."

There was an excited murmur around the table and Severus sighed heavily as he watched the events unfold. It was an interesting concept to many, though most people seemed wary of trying anything out just yet. Molly Weasley made a strong declaration that she did not need proof that she and Arthur were soul mates, creating quite the _awww_ moment for the women in the group. Potter made a fine show of proclaiming that he believed that Lily was his soul mate. And, even if she wasn't, he would still love her more than anything, still be with her and other such romantic notions that made those beautiful green eyes light up with love and happiness that shouldn't be directed at a swine like Potter. Eventually, the more lovey-dovey comments became an argument between Molly and Fleur Delacour over her upcoming nuptials to the eldest Weasley, leading to Fleur standing up and stating loudly, "I shall be ze first to see 'ow zis soul mate _magie_works."

"Fleur, this isn't necessary," Bill said calmly, glaring at his mother.

"No, I shall!" Fleur said, glowering at Molly and placing her hands on her hips.

"Splendid!" Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together. "Severus?"

At least this would be interesting, Severus thought to himself, as he reached down and grabbed the box he had placed under his chair upon entering. He set the deep purple box in front of him then carefully opened it up, pulling out a white inkpot and a silvery blue quill, sitting them down on the blank parchment he had brought along with him to the meeting. "Over here, if you please," Dumbledore said kindly, scooting his chair to one side to allow room for Fleur to stand beside him at the table. "Your instructions, Severus?"

Why the old man wanted him to do this was beyond Severus, He had already instructed Dumbledore on how to go about this. "Prick your finger with the tip of the quill," Severus directed in a bored tone.

Without a word, Fleur snatched up the quill and pricked the tip of her index finger with it then stood, uncertainly, waiting for further instruction.

"Now dip the quill into the inkpot and lay it on the parchment," Severus continued.

Fleur shot him a strange look but said nothing and followed the orders once more, holding her bleeding finger out, tentatively, looking as though she wanted to wipe it away then heal it, though she wasn't sure if she could wipe the blood away yet or not. Severus impatiently motioned that she could do so and Fleur stuck her finger into her mouth to lick it away.

"Now repeat the words _nomen anima mea_," Severus ordered.

"_Nomen anima mea_," Fleur repeated.

The quill glowed, surrounded in white light, as it stood and danced across the parchment, scribbling down words then dropping the moment it was finished. Those nearby leaned over the table to get a look at the parchment and Fleur grinned triumphantly when she saw it.

_The soul counterpart of Fleur Isabelle Delacour is one William Arthur Weasley._

The words were all written in small print while their names were large and written in curly letters, a large & drawn to one side, making it look from afar as though it said _FLEUR ISABELLE DELACOUR & WILLIAM ARTHUR WEASLEY_. Severus had only memorized what the rest was supposed to say and thus had no problems reading the tiny and otherwise difficult to decipher print.

"Well," sputtered Molly Weasley in shock.

"I always knew it was you, darling," Bill Weasley said with a loving smile that could make hearts melt and the resounding chorus of "Awww!" from the women proved the point. Fleur grinned happily and danced back to where her fiancé sat then threw her arms around him, kissing his cheek merrily.

"We shall have a Soul Bonding at ze wedding, yes?" Fleur asked hopefully.

"Can we?" Bill directed to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled. "Of course. I'm sure there's a way we can intertwine the ceremonies necessary for a Soul and Marriage Bond."

The table congratulated the couple who seemed more sickeningly in love than ever. Severus rolled his eyes and shifted impatiently in his chair. If he had to suffer through _this_ the rest of the afternoon he would be most displeased. He could easily think of a million and one other ways he'd prefer to spend his time than to witness such romantic displays. Eventually, they all settled down and Dumbledore passed the parchment declaring their status as soul mates down the table to the happy couple before resting the quill on top of a new sheet of parchment. "Anyone else?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.

"I'll give it a shot," Black declared, standing up. He grinned his charming smile of his and Marlene McKinnon shot him a hopeful look. Without needing to be told a thing, Black swiped up the quill and swiftly pricked his own finger, dipped it into the magical ink Severus had created then set it upon the new parchment. "_Nomen anima mea_," he said confidently and watched as the quill scribbled out the words. His smile quickly faded as the quill dropped and, just as quickly snatched up the parchment, looking incredibly pale. Severus had to bite back a smirk, as he had already caught sight of the names. By the looks of it, he was probably the only one, other than Dumbledore.

_The soul counterpart of Sirius Black is one Remus John Lupin._

The soul mate of the biggest lady's man Hogwarts had ever seen was a _man_. Hilarious, it was. Severus was sure he had plenty to say about the matter but decided it would be in his best interest to hold off and wait for a more opportune moment.

"What is it, mate?" one of the Weasley twins asked. The large F he wore on his shirt alerted Severus that this must be Fred.

"It's not You-Know-Who, is it?" joked the other twin.

"Fred! George!" scolded their mother for their tasteless joke. Dumbledore and a few others chuckled good-naturedly. Though others, such as Moody, only glared and stared at them in a disturbed manner.

"We were only having a laugh," defended George.

"It's not ole Snape, is it?" Fred asked.

Potter choked on the water he had just taken a drink of and, as his wife leaned over to slap him on his back, Potter burst into uncontrollable laughter. Lupin looked to be holding back a loud bout of laughter himself.

"Fred!" scolded Molly. "Apologize!"

"It was just a question!" Fred exclaimed.

"We know they hate each other, s'all," George went on.

"I guess you'll never know," Black said with a teasing grin, seeming to get himself under control as he folded up the parchment and slid it into his robes. He returned to his chair between Potter and Lupin, looking as though all was well in the world though Severus could definitely tell something was off. So did a few others, judging by the look of concern Lily and Lupin gave him as well as the hard stares of Moody and even the uncertainty in Shackelbolt's face. Potter, meanwhile, pestered him about the person's name while Black made it seem like a game of withholding the information.

"Next?" asked Dumbledore, blue eyes still twinkling, and maybe even more so now than before, if Severus had to judge.

Lupin volunteered next and Severus really had to rein in his amusement. When Lupin's was done, he quickly covered the parchment with his hands, eyes bugging out of his head, looking ghostly pale. "Remus, are you alright?" Lily asked in concern, green eyes flickering to Black, who was making a point of looking nowhere near Lupin. No one else seemed to notice but Lily was smart and more observant than most.

"Moony? Look like you might pass out, mate," Potter said.

"I…I'm fine," Lupin said, clearing his throat and quickly grabbing the parchment and shoving it into his own pockets before anyone could get a glimpse of it. He returned to his own seat and Severus was amused to notice he kept himself as far from Black as possible without looking too suspicious.

"Anyone else?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not me!" declared one of the Weasel twins.

"Not looking very good, you know," added the other, looking pointedly to Black and Lupin.

"It iz not all bad," Fleur defended, placing another sweet kiss on her older Weasley.

"I'll do it!" Tonks declared, nearly tripping before she could even get out of her chair. On either side of her, Shackelbolt and Moody reached out to steady her. She grinned sheepishly then skipped over to stand beside Dumbledore. However, she seemed very disappointed when her results came back with the name of a man she didn't even know, and certainly not the name of Remus Lupin, the man she had been drooling over for over a year now. After her, only Emmeline Vance agreed to try. Hers, too, coming back with the name of a man she had yet to meet.

"Will that be all?" Dumbledore asked, looking around the room.

"Maybe next time!" called one of the twins.

"We need to prepare for it, ya know?" said the other.

Dumbledore chuckled and nodded his head. "Very well. If at any time anyone wishes to change their mind, feel free to let Severus or myself know and we will allow you to see. Those of you wishing to have a Soul Bond, I will be more than happy to officiate the ceremony and the knowledge of who chooses to do so will be most useful. I would also appreciate anyone willing to work with your soul mates and myself to further study this most intriguing subject."

"Fleur and I will be of any help we can," Bill assured him.

"If I can find this bloke, we'll see!" Tonks added.

"It would be most appreciated," Dumbledore said with a nod of his head. "If there is no news from anyone, that will be all for this meeting. Mr. Weasley and Miss Delacour, we can schedule a meeting to discuss the Bonding as soon as you are able."

No one seemed to have much to add. They had only had a _real_ meeting a few days ago. With that, Bill and Fleur made their way over to Dumbledore and walked with him out of the dining room while Lupin made quick work of joining Tonks and Moody as they walked out, leaving Black to leave through a different door.

"The bloody hell is wrong with them," Potter muttered.

"This is very impressive, Severus," Lily complimented, standing up and moving over to take the now vacant seat beside him. Severus could smell the sweet scent of her favorite honeysuckle and violet perfume so was possessed, as always, by the urge to reach over and touch her. They had been friends for so long but his love for her had never faded. While being near her was easier to deal with, it was hard to ignore how much he wanted her. "Have you found your soul mate yet?"

Severus scoffed. "I have no interest in soul mates, Lily."

"You'd need a soul to have one," muttered one of the Weasley twins as they left the room.

Potter tried to hold back a laugh but failed and Severus was pleased when Lily shot him a glare. "Why not?" Lily asked teasingly. "I thought you would be happy to find a way to help 'strengthen and stabilize' your magic."

"My magic is perfectly strong and stable as it is," Severus assured her, not wanting to get very far into the topic of his aversion to soul mates.

"True," said Lily with a smile. "You _are_ the first person to come up with a means of finding one's soul mate, so that must say something. You never told me about this project."

"I was not particularly proud of partaking in such a foolish task," Severus muttered. "I especially had no want of particular people assuming certain things if they had learned of my project. I did it, of course, for the money and the challenge of creating something new. But others would see it as something far more absurd and idealistic than that."

"Probably," Lily agreed with a laugh.

"I think he's just afraid that it won't be you, Lils," Potter said with a grin, coming up to stand behind his wife. He said it in that same teasing manner he might use with his friends but there was a malicious gleam in his hazel eyes. To his credit, Potter wasn't as awful as he once was and, to his pleasure, he did appear almost wary of him, like he actually feared Severus might be competition when it came to Lily. Nothing pleased Severus more than that realization.

"Hush, James," scolded Lily, giving him a hard look.

"I'm not worried, merely unconcerned," Severus replied. Potter _was_ somewhat on the mark with it. Severus did fear that if he partook in this task he would be forced to face the truth that he and Lily really didn't belong together. That his love for her would never grow, never become anything more, that maybe she really _did_ belong with that arse that was James Potter. "Why don't you give it a try, Potter?" Severus said, placing the inkpot on top of the stack of blank parchment Dumbledore had left behind and pushed them towards him.

"Severus," scolded Lily.

"Fine," Potter said confidently, plucking up the quill and pricking his finger. Severus should have known better, Should have known not to challenge such an idiotic Gryffindor. Now he sat tense in his seat, straightening up a bit as Potter laid the quill atop the parchment, the twitch in his fingers betraying his own nervousness. Lily stared in shock at her husband before turning her green eyes to the parchment as the quill glowed and lifted itself. The men then pulling their own attention to the parchment. Severus stared at it hard as it began to write, feeling both excitement and dread, willing it to stop and begging it to hurry along. He needed to know once and for all but the terror of the results remained, a paralyzing fear that left him currently incapable of breathing or even thinking, only staring hard at the quill and begging it with his very soul to not give Lily's name.


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

* * *

><p><em>The soul counterpart of James Irving Potter is one Lily Faith Evans.<em>

Lily blinked, a strange mix of emotions playing through her bright green eyes. James Potter grinned broadly and held up the parchment, turning it to show the message to Lily and Severus. Severus stared at the parchment, face blank, ignoring the feel of sinking disappointment in his stomach and the sharp pain that hit his chest. His eyes burned as he breathed in deeply, struggling to keep up his mask and let nothing show. He raised his eyebrow and met Potter's smug gaze, ignoring the pitying look Lily was giving him.

She knew. She had always known, hadn't she?

"It seems to not realize you're married, Lils, but there you have it," Potter said with a grin.

"It uses the birth name. Try as I might, the magic does not seem to recognize legal names. I didn't figure it mattered much because most will understand who it is meant for," he replied, impressing himself with how even his voice was. It didn't come as too much of a surprise. It lessened some of the blow and Severus was grateful for it. He'd be damned if he let James Potter see him fall apart, to see him suffer.

"That makes sense," Lily said, seeming eager to latch onto another train of thought. "Using the birth name makes it seem as though it's closer to who a person actually is at their core. Since it involves so many aspects of a person, on so many deep levels, it makes sense that it wouldn't be complicated by legal means."

"Y-" Severus began to say.

"Yeah, yeah, very interesting," Potter said. "Lily…Don't you get it?" Potter asked, reaching out to take her hand. Hazel eyes behind round glasses shone with so much love it was hard to stomach. Severus looked away and grabbed the quill and inkpot and packed them away in his box. "We were made for each other…I always knew it, but…there you have it. Written in magic."

"Yeah…Oh…Oh James!" Lily exclaimed, voice so filled with emotion. Severus couldn't bear to look at her or their display of love. He closed his box and grabbed the stack of parchment and left the room.

* * *

><p>Was it normal to be irritated by a good mood? Harry Potter gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tightly, trying to count to twenty in his head so as to be patient and not snap at her. Books were opened all over the room; covering the beds, some on the floor, with notes scribbled on parchments all over the place, quills broken in frustration, and inkpots carefully closed then placed in a box of stationary Hermione had brought along. The large black spot of ink on the floor reminded the group as to why they had to be more careful with them. Ron was lying beside Harry, chewing a chocolate frog slowly and quietly, after having been snapped at not only by Harry but by his own girlfriend, Hermione, for chewing too loudly. Harry sat beside him, legs folded Indian style, his face buried in his hands. The girls occupied the bed beside theirs. Hermione was pulling her own hair, eyes wide as she frantically scanned the book in her lap, rereading it for the fourth time. Ginny sighed in frustration and closed her own book irritably, slapping herself in the forehead with it.<p>

Only Grace seemed to be in high spirits. She was humming the latest Weird Sisters hit to herself while she danced around the one clean space of floor by the window. She moved her body, waving her arms over her head, swinging her long, dark red curls all around as she spun and stumbled over some of the lyrics she wasn't totally confident in.

"Grace, I swear to Merlin if you don't stop…" Harry said warningly.

"You'll what?" Grace asked, pausing to grin at them. "C'mon, you need a break."

"I can't take a break, Grace," Harry said through gritted teeth. "We only have _Voldemort_ we're trying to kill."

"Horcruxes to find," Ginny said dully, glaring bitterly at the books on the floor.

"And destroy," Hermione groaned.

"A abzz topk keetpck," Ron said with a mouthful of chocolate.

"Ronald!" Hermione said in exasperation. "Would you stop?"

"Sowwy," Ron said as he swallowed his candy.

"It'll be fine, Harry. Really! I have every faith in you, in the Order, Dumbledore, the Ministry and all of you!" Grace assured him.

"Gracie, just get out if you're not going to help," Ginny snapped, finally turning to glare at the younger girl. "'Cause you really aren't helping things."

"Oh don't leave just yet, Gracie-girl!" said a new voice as the door opened. Harry sighed and lifted his head as the twins walked in.

"You'll miss the good news!" said one of the twins.

"Ooh, what happened?" Hermione asked eagerly, sitting up straight. Being seventeen, she and Ron both had been allowed to be initiated into the Order of the Phoenix but they felt bad about going to meetings without Harry, especially when he was in the house. They often opted to skip out and help Harry with his "homework" on figuring out as much as they could about Horcruxes, on Dumbledore's orders. Fred and George would tell them what happened in Order meetings anyway, so they rarely missed much. Though Hermione was the type who would mourn the lost opportunity to take part in such discussions and put in her two cents. Harry felt bad but he was honestly grateful to have more help with his task and it made him feel less bitter about the whole thing when they stuck by him.

Harry couldn't wait to join the Order, and, if his parents had allowed it, he would have joined the moment the organization came back together. He didn't know why but James and Lily asked that he wait to join until he was seventeen. Luckily, that was only a few weeks away. Pushing his book away and rubbing his temples, he decided it might do him some good to get his mind off this and see what the Order had been up to.

"They didn't have much news," Fred said.

"But Snape, apparently, came up with this really neat…thing," George said.

"Thing?" Hermione asked curiously.

"A method of finding the name of one's soul mate," George said with a grin.

"You'll be glad to know, Ginny, that Fleur and Bill are soul mates," Fred said.

"Oh _great_," grumbled Ginny. She had never had much love for Fleur Delacour. Not many women did or so it seemed.

"Really? That's amazing!" Hermione said excitedly. "Do you know how rare it is for someone to find their soul mate? To have any means of finding them is extraordinary!"

"Yeah, it's really great," Fred said, though he waved it off. "At any rate, if we volunteer to we can find our soul mate-"

"-Perform a soul bond," added George.

"And become all powerful or something like that," Fred said with a grin.

"Actually-" Hermione said.

"Yeah, yeah, we know," the twins said in unison.

"Mrs. Potter read some chapter on Soul Bonds form some Bond book," George said.

"But it's the whole principle…soul mate helps make you stronger and whatnot," Fred said.

"Yes…People say it's not much good since Soul Bonding isn't nearly as _effective_as they assume. But, in theory, it can still do a great deal of good," Hermione explained. "This is amazing! Who did it?"

"Fleur and Bill got each other," George said.

"Tonks got some bloke she doesn't know," Fred added.

"McKinnon got some bloke she doesn't know," George continued.

"And Remus and Sirius won't say but they looked pretty freaked out," Fred said.

"Oh! And your parents are apparently soul mates, Harry," George added.

"We stayed outside the door and eavesdropped," Fred admitted shamelessly.

"We take it your dad was trying to get on Snape's nerves," George went on.

"We figure it worked. He left pretty fast," Fred snickered.

"He was picking on him about being too scared of finding his own soul mate," George said.

"Made it seem like ole Snapey's got a thing for your mum," Fred chuckled.

"Nice," Harry said sarcastically, shaking his head. Of course, the most greasy, evil bastard ever would have a thing for his mother.

"Dumbledore said if anyone wants to find their soul mate to contact him or Snape. Though I think he just meant Order members," George said.

Ron's eyes grew wide. He shoved another chocolate frog in his mouth and glanced from his brothers over to his girlfriend. Hermione didn't seem to be paying him any mind. She smiled and looked thoughtful for a moment. "It is a very interesting subject. I would like to learn a lot more about it."

"Yes, well, what if ole Ronniekins isn't your soul mate?" Fred asked teasingly, causing Ron to glare at him.

Hermione flushed. "Well, I'm not worried about that. I know he is."

Hermione spoke with such confidence on the matter. Ginny and Grace smiled while Fred and George looked at and nudged each other. Ron looked a bit relieved and quickly swallowed his chocolate. "I know so too, Mione," Ron said with a grin before offering a violent hiccup. Harry couldn't help but feel uncomfortable by such sweet love displays and, luckily George interrupted it by saying, teasingly, "Awww…Ickle Ronniekins is such a romantic, isn't he?"

"Good choice, mate," Fred said with a nod.

"Has he left yet?" Hermione asked standing up.

"I dunno but you can go check," George said with a shrug.

"Alright then!" Hermione said and moved quickly out of the room.

"Girls," Fred said, shaking his head.

"So in love with the idea of love," laughed George.

"I'm not," Ginny said with a smile.

"What could be better than finding your soul mate?" Grace demanded, skipping over and hopping onto the bed to fill Hermione's empty space.

Ginny held up her book with a forced smile. "Finding Horcruxes!"

* * *

><p>As soon as the meeting was over, Sirius Black walked straight to his bedroom and locked the door. He could only play it cool for so long. This was pretty important! Sirius pulled out the parchment and unfolded it, holding it up in front of his face. Nothing had changed. It still had his and <em>Remus's<em> name! This wasn't right! Snape must have interfered. He must have done something to fuck up his results. Maybe he had rigged the entire thing to screw people over. That was it. That was the only thing that made sense.

Shaking his head and laughing at his own foolishness, Sirius took the parchment and began ripping it up. How silly was he to actually believe this shite? He'd have to go see Moony soon to make sure he hadn't actually believed any of this. They'd have a good laugh about it and then they'd tell Prongs, who would have a laugh at them both for being idiots. James and Lily would probably tease them about being a couple for a while then it would all be fine.

When the parchment seemed to be in enough pieces, Sirius walked over to the small garbage bin by his door and dropped them into it, sighing as a few of the small pieces floated to the floor, just narrowly missing the can's opening. Sighing, Sirius leaned down to pick them up, pausing as he went to straighten himself up, catching sight of the piece on top. He quickly turned it around to read the words on it straight. The words that had been written on the parchment were there, minuscule and hardly readable other than the SIRIUS BLACK & REMUS JOHN LUPIN. That was too big to miss. It was as though the message had shrunk itself to fit onto that piece of paper. Sirius flicked that piece into the bin and flipped over the next piece, more disturbed to find the same thing. Every piece in his hand, no matter how small, had the same thing: a smaller version of the message copied onto every ripped shred of the parchment.

"Shite," Sirius muttered, dumping the last of the paper into the bin and stood up. "Clever, Snape. _Very_ clever," he grumbled.

* * *

><p>Tonks waved goodbye to Moody as the wizard walked ahead of them and Disapparated. Her hair was a strange pink-gray color and her eyes a dull brown. Remus smiled awkwardly at her and shoved his hands into his pockets as they continued walking down to the sidewalk in front of Grimmauld Place together. The witch had made her crush on him well known, though Remus had never quite figured out his feelings for her. And now, more than ever, Remus wished he had. He had a feeling it might have made him feel a bit…less confused about all of this. "So…Who <em>did<em> you get?" Tonks asked.

Remus cringed, recalling the words on the parchment. _The soul counterpart of Remus John Lupin is one Sirius Black._ Remus did not want to think about that at all right now. "I'm sorry, I don't feel very comfortable talking about it," Remus said calmly.

"Oh that's fine," Tonks said with a shrug. "But,just remember what the book said; you don't have to pursue anything with them and not all soul mates are meant for romantic relationships. Ya know? So, maybe, they could be a really good friend. And if it's someone you really hate then…Well, there's nothing that says you have to approach them with anything. Right? There's no reason to be too upset."

"You…You're right," Remus said, feeling a bit better with the reminder. Soul mates could just be really good friends, right? Sirius was, without a doubt, one of his best mates. It made perfect sense. "You just hear soul mates and automatically assume something romantic or sexual or something. But it can be platonic…Phew."

"You gonna tell me who it is then?" Tonks asked with a teasing smile. Her dull brown eyes were now a vivid aquamarine blue and her hair was shockingly pink. There was a skip to her step now, the thought seeming to cheer her up as well. Maybe Remus hadn't figured out his feelings for her completely and, for that, he felt a bit guilty. Especially when she looked so hopeful. But he was glad that he could calm down and not worry about this thing with Sirius so much.

"Sirius," Remus said with a laugh.

"See? Nothing to worry about," Tonks assured him with a bright smile. "You've been mates forever. You don't have to all of a sudden marry him. That actually makes perfect sense."

"You're right," Remus said, smiling back at her. He and Sirius would have a laugh about this one day…and James and Lily were going to tease the hell out of them both for being so worried. "Thanks, Tonks."

"No problem, Remus," Tonks replied, moving closer and linking her arm through his. "Wanna go out for drinks? Celebrate the good news?"

"Sure," Remus agreed, tightening his grip on her and Apparating them to the nearest Wizarding village.

* * *

><p>Severus Snape trudged up the pathway to his home, tucking his box and the parchment under one arm while he quickly dug his key out of his pocket. On either side of the path was dead, brown grass that covered all of the small front yard. The place had been destroyed earlier that year after a failed attempt at experimenting with growing crabapple trees with different properties in hopes of making use of it in potions. The house itself was small and unimpressive. The paint, wood, and bricks of it were chipped and faded. The dim, dirtied whites and grays giving it an old, gloomy feel. The house normally appeared uninhabited, with no personal touches on the outside of it to declare that someone actually lived here. And, for the majority of the year, the place <em>was<em> empty. Severus _did_make sure that the place looked decent, even if it was a far cry from being any sort of enviable home.

On a teacher's salary, he hardly had the money for a nice home or fixing it up enough to look good. And, honestly, he didn't care all that much. It served its purpose and had gotten him out of his childhood home on Spinner's End in Cokeworth. He had his privacy and, right now, it was a sanctuary. His escape from the world among Death Eaters or the responsibilities in the Order or even the bothersome students that roamed the halls of Hogwarts. He unlocked the door and stepped in eagerly, feeling a great weight slide off his shoulders as he entered the one place he felt even remotely comfortable letting himself relax and feel anything.

He wasn't completely sure how he felt Severus decided, setting his load down onto the coffee table and settling himself into his favorite armchair. There was some bit of wounded pride, some humiliation over having both Potter Sr. and Lily know of Severus's feelings for her then having it shoved in his face in front of them both that she could never be his. There was self loathing for the fact that he still loved her after all of these years, that he would feel anything at all in response to the revelation. There was relief in finally knowing the truth. Hope that knowing might help him move on. Mostly, there was sorrow. It didn't hurt as much as it once might have but, maybe, he had always truly known that Lily could never love him and that James Potter would always come out on top. At least Lily was happy. Even Severus could, grudgingly, admit that James Potter was a suitable husband and treated her well.

He expected that it should have hurt more or not at all. The confusing mix of emotions bothered him. It could have been worse, he thought to himself pulling out his wand and conjuring the bottle of Superior Red that Lucius had given him two Christmases ago. He poured himself a glass and leaned back in his chair, wondering what things might have been if that parchment had said any other name. Would Lily have stayed with Potter knowing he was meant for someone else? What if Severus _had_ done it and it had given him Lily's name? Would anything have changed?

Would anything change if he did it now? No, that was a foolish thought. Suddenly learning who his soul mate was would not change anything. He wouldn't suddenly forget all about Lily and fall madly in love with this new man or woman. He might not even know them. They could very well be dead for all Severus knew, as had happened to poor Sharon Charles. What if it was someone he hated? Knowing could always be worse than not knowing, he rationalized. There was a reason he had chosen not to do so in the first place! There was nothing romantic or great about soul mates or soul Bonding.

Still…He was curious…

Severus stared at the box and the parchment on the table in front of him, sipping his wine as he imagined all the possibilities.


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

* * *

><p>The following day went much the same as most had so far this summer for Harry Potter. He woke up and worked on reading a bit, taking notes, trying to think of anything he could concerning Horcruxes. He didn't get much done because Lily would come up with Grace and convince him to abandon his studies then come down for breakfast, assuring him that Dumbledore was doing a fine job, that he was too young to be worrying so much. Also, that the Horcruxes would all be taken care of before too long. Just a few weeks ago, they had found success in locating the third of six Horcruxes; a locket, that Dumbledore had them destroy immediately. Once they were full of food, Lily bid the children goodbye and went off to work. Harry would do a bit more reading before getting frustrated and taking a break, which he spent today out back playing Quidditch with Ron, who had stayed the night last night.<p>

It was late afternoon the time they carried their brooms back into the house, leaning them against one corner of the wall nearest the back door they had entered through and they passed through the kitchen, each grabbing a handful of cookies from the pile on the plate Grace was currently adding to. "Hey! Those aren't for you!" Grace exclaimed, glaring then throwing one of her oven mitts at them. Harry and Ron chuckled, jogging upstairs into the first room on the left, which was Harry's room. The exhausted boys collapsed onto the bed and shoved their cookies into their mouths.

The room was a bit big for Harry's tastes, which was why most of it looked a bit empty. There was his bed with its maroon and navy bedspread and a small bedside table. His school trunk was at the foot of his bed and there was a wardrobe across the room. There _had_ been a desk against the wall but it had broken last summer during a disastrous night when both Harry and Grace had guests stay the night. James had made the mistake of getting the group of teenagers hyped up on sugar and encouraging rowdy behavior. The small stereo that had once sat on the desk now resided on the floor in its place, looking a bit strange with nothing higher to sit up on and it was a bit frustrating having to get down onto the floor to play his music. There was a laundry basket and a trash bin by the door, leaving a lot of bare, excess floor with nothing to cover it. These days it was a little better, what with his books, magazines, and notes scattered all about.

The walls, at least, were busier than the floor. There were a few Gryffindor banners in place; several posters for Puddlemere United, his favorite Quidditch team. Also, there were a few for the Chudley Cannons, all gifts from Ron, who was trying to get Harry more onto his side of things. A few posters from various Wizarding bands, including one signed by all of the members of the Babbling Banshees and another signed by the Weird Sisters. Pictures of friends and family, the Potter family crest and motto. There were even various drawings of strange creatures and some of his schoolmates that Luna Lovegood had drawn for him over the past couple of years in her elective Art class.

"I almost beat you, you know," Ron said, mouth full, after a few minutes.

Harry laughed and rolled his eyes. "Just like I always almost beat you at chess?"

"Hey now! I'm better at Quidditch than you are at chess," Ron defended, sitting up and shoving more cookies into his mouth.

"I'm not _that_ bad," Harry grumbled. Wizarding chess could be fun but Harry didn't have a great interest in it. Ron was so bloody amazing at it, though, that it was hard to want to play with him. It was a guaranteed loss from the start, he swore. But he often played to humor Ron, even if it meant getting his arse kicked. He, at least, felt good in knowing that he was better than most when it came to Quidditch.

"Compared to him, everyone's bad, right?" said a voice from the doorway. The boys looked up to see Grace standing in the doorway with her dark red curls pinned on top of her head, her face, clothes and arms all covered in flour and milk with small smears of the finished cookie dough.

"You just say that 'cause you're terrible at it," Harry told her, grinning as Ron snickered.

"How did you even make cookies?" Ron asked, gaping at her. "Looks like you got all of the cookie dough all over you. How did you have enough to put in the oven?"

"I made sure to make a lot," Grace said, rolling her eyes.

"Go clean up, Grace," Harry said.

"I was about to!" Grace said. "I was just bringing you your surprise."

"What surprise?" Ron asked eagerly.

Grace grinned and walked off. In her place, Hermione stepped into the doorway with a smile. "Oh, it's just you," Ron said to his girlfriend in a disappointed tone, though his bright blue eyes betrayed his happiness and excitement. "I thought you were keeping Gin company today."

"I was," Hermione said, stepping into the room and seating herself between Harry and Ron on the bed. "Luna wanted her to go visit for something or other and I told her to go ahead, saying I would come see our boys."

"Great," Harry said. "_I_ appreciate your company, at least."

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said with a smile.

"So, did you ever get your proof that Ron is your soul mate?" Harry asked teasingly.

"No, Dumbledore had left already," Hermione said with a shrug. She reached over and linked her fingers through Ron's, smiling lovingly at him. "I'm not _that_ worried about it though. What about you, Harry? Are you going to find your soul mate when you turn seventeen?"

"If I can get my parents to agree, I'll do it right away," Harry assured her. To some people, this whole soul mates thing was a sort of sweet '_all of my dreams are coming true'_ idea. Harry, though, listened as Fred and George had explained the concepts they recalled from the meeting about soul mates and Soul Bonding, about how much help it could be with things. He didn't fully understand how it worked, but if it did, what did he have to lose? They had a war going on and every little bit of extra help would be great!

"I'm sure they will!" Hermione said with a bright smile. She had a gleam in her chocolate brown eyes, sitting up a bit straighter. "Do you realize how rare it was for anyone to realize they're soul mates? To even _test_ if someone is a soul mate is incredibly difficult magic It's not like people go around seeing if they're soul mated to every person they know, just in case. There are very few recorded events of this phenomenon. Even fewer on Soul Bonding. And what information we do have is very old and hard to come by. What Professor Snape has done is…it's amazing! From what we _do_ know about soul mates, this whole concept can be a great boost to our side. Not only that, but there very well may be perks to Bonding that we don't even know about yet! I have so many theories and I'm sure Professor Dumbledore does, too. We'll have the chance to study this! We can be a part of this research and can learn so many new things with this! Soul mates and Soul Bonding could very well be more powerful than we even realize! It's so very exciting to see how things go! Hopefully they'll let me be a part of the research group. I find this so very fascinating; I would like very much to be a part of all of this." Harry and Ron grinned at each other behind Hermione's back and listened to her babble on enthusiastically about the project. Harry could admit he was curious as to how the whole thing would work and was especially hopeful that it would be a big aid to the Order of the Phoenix. Not to mention Hermione was brilliant and both wizards could easily see Hermione uncovering all sorts of amazing things about the subject once they got further into things.

"Well, once we have a chance to talk to Dumbledore, we can do a Bond and see, firsthand, how it all works," Ron assured her with a smile, giving her hand a small squeeze. Out of nowhere, Hermione threw herself at him, kissing him fiercely. Ron made a noise of surprise and fell over onto his side.

Harry blinked in surprise then sighed heavily, lifting his leg to nudge them both with his foot. "What did I say about snogging like this in front of me?"

* * *

><p>Remus raked his fingers through his graying hair, feeling strangely nervous as he approached the door of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Sirius Black was one of his best friends. There was nothing more between them than that, even if they were soul mates. Tonks was right, <em>Magical Bonds: Past, Present, and Future<em> had claimed that soul mates could merely be very good friends. There had even been two documented cases of _family members_being soul mates! There didn't have to be _true love_ involved in this. Tonks's words had brought him great comfort and he had been sure to borrow a copy of the book from Lily to do more reading on the subject, which made him feel more comfortable. Somehow, though, the prospect of actually facing Sirius after that was a bit nerve-wracking.

He continued his walk towards the front door, feeling more and more dread fill him with every step. That didn't stop him from raising his fist and knocking on the door when the time came nor he didn't turn and Disapparate before Sirius could open the door. He stood with a forced smile when a very surprised Sirius answered the door. "Remus!" Sirius exclaimed in a falsely bright tone with smile that never quite met his eyes in all of their discomfort and nervousness. "I didn't know you'd be paying me a visit today."

"I never needed a reason to visit before," Remus pointed out with a small smile. "Can I come in?"

"Uh…Sure. Of course! Come in," Sirius said, regaining at least some semblance of his usual confidence as he stood up straight and stepped aside to let Remus in, something that seemed to take every ounce of his Gryffindor bravery. Remus understood the feeling. It was the same push that forced his unwilling legs to step into the entranceway of the house, moving forward quietly while Sirius slowly closed the door as to not make too much racket to wake up his horrible mother's portrait.

Sirius wordlessly jerked his head in the direction of the living room and Remus nodded, the two friends quietly walking together into the sitting room. The awkwardness was thick between them and Remus could not remember a time he had ever felt so uncomfortable around Sirius. How was one supposed to react to learning their soul mate was their best friend? Their _male_ best friend? Even if soul mates _could_ have a platonic relationship, it was always so associated with romantic love and that made things awkward.

"So…To what do I owe this pleasure?" Sirius asked, sitting down on the couch, his attempt at looking nonchalant failing miserably.

Remus cleared his throat. "We never did get the chance to discuss things yesterday," Remus explained.

"What things?" Sirius asked.

_You know what things_, Remus wanted to say in his frustration, but he managed to stay calm and pulled his thoughts together. "The fact that we're apparently soul mates and whether or not we want to do this Soul Bond or not."

"Ah…" Sirius said, letting all pretenses drop and letting his discomfort fully show. "Well…I…Really?"

Remus laughed. "Weren't you paying attention in the meeting?"

Sirius looked confused. "Yes?"

"Soul mates have nothing to do with our love lives," Remus pointed out. "They can be really good friends or even family members. So there is nothing wrong with us being…soul mates." It still felt incredibly weird and unnatural to say. "Or even performing the Soul Bond."

"Oh…Yeah," Sirius said, grinning a bit more easily and relaxing. "I knew that. Don't tell me you were worried or something."

Remus laughed and shook his head. "Of course not. Not worried at all," he said. Sirius's new calmness made him feel slightly better about the situation, though that nervousness didn't seem willing to disappear entirely. "So…There's no reason for us to…not…do this?"

"Exactly," Sirius said with a smile. "We're best mates. No reason not to."

"Exactly," Remus replied. They were close friends and they wouldn't have to do anything weird to do this Bond. It wouldn't require them to have sex or hurt each other like some of the Bonds in that book. It wasn't a love, or sexual or a slavery Bond, nothing of that nature. There wasn't much known about it, which was tricky, but they apparently knew enough to ensure that they weren't getting themselves into anything horrible. Whoever had done research on the Soul Bonds had been clever enough to rule out all of the bigger, more dangerous or controversial aspects of most Bonds. With almost no known issues to result from the Bond, and the good it could do not only them, but possibly for the Order, as well, there was no reason not to and every reason _to_ do it. "So…We'll do this?"

"Of course we will,once I find out what it all entails exactly," Sirius replied. "You don't happen to have a copy of that book, do you?"

* * *

><p>Once Ron and Hermione had come up for air, Harry managed to get them onto the subject of Horcruxes again. There was only so much they could do as teenagers, especially since Dumbledore was spending a lot of his own time actually out there looking for them. Harry was eager to lend a hand, though, fully intending to start helping once he turned seventeen and was debating whether or not to even return to Hogwarts next year. He'd be of age and could drop out without needing his parents to be okay with it. If he didn't have school to worry about, he could join the Order and dedicate his time to bringing down Voldemort once and for all. Saving the world was surely more important than finishing his education. Maybe they were halfway through destroying the Horcruxes, but there was no telling where the other ones were and he still had to kill Voldemort himself once that task was done. There was still so much to do and, according to the twins and what they heard in Order meetings, Voldemort was getting stronger.<p>

Every time he mentioned it, Hermione became upset. She would scold him about abandoning his schoolwork then go on about how important it was for him to finish school and take his NEWTS, that Dumbledore was taking care of the Horcruxes so all he had to do was doing what he was now. They would get into rather heated arguments about it. About how Harry needed to leave the work to more experienced wizards, that he couldn't assume responsibility for this entire war. Harry thought Hermione didn't seem to understand the importance of this work and needed to get her priorities in order then understand that school wasn't everything. It could get pretty nasty and Hermione even threatened to tell his parents his plan multiple times, as if that would stop him. Even if they tried punishing him for his plan, he would be seventeen before school started and, legally, they couldn't stop him. He'd be of age by then. Ron tried to stay out of the arguments, though he could get nasty with Harry if he thought he was being too unreasonably mean to his girlfriend.

Nowadays, Harry and Hermione did their best to stay off the topic of plans for the future and focused solely on their studies.

Ron had little care for their work, only helping now and then, though he seemed to have a hard time staying focused. While Harry and Hermione had their books spread open on the bed, Ron was sitting on the floor by the radio, playing music quietly while he read a Quidditch magazine inside the Dark Arts book Hermione had given him to study. At least he wasn't eating candy and chewing loudly or doing anything else that would get on Hermione's nerves while reading. Hermione seemed too caught up in her book to even notice the newest Weird Sisters hit playing softly in the background.

"There has got to be _something,_ _somewhere_," Hermione sighed in frustration, tossing another book to the floor and pulling another one in front of her. Harry was brainstorming on possible areas and items, using what information he knew about Voldemort, secretly hoping he would have another vision of the Dark wizard soon to, hopefully, give him some sort of clues as he was running out of ideas. Hermione, meanwhile, was researching everything she could on the Founders of Hogwarts, hoping to find out what the last item could possibly be. No one seemed to care as much about items the Founders might have owned and, instead, cared more about their histories and accomplishments. Hermione had stopped too many times to point out one interesting fact or another before needing reminding that she had to focus more on items. She had spent a good hour staring intently at various photographs of paintings of the Founders in various museums, but decided it was not very useful. Not when every painter seemed to have different visions of the Founders, and she couldn't find which had actually been painted in the time period of the Founders, of people who might have actually _seen_ them.

"Just gotta keep looking," Harry said in the same frustrated disappointment. It felt like they had been over everything. There wasn't exactly much information to go on. Horcruxes were old, Dark, rare magic. Harry ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose then taking a deep breath. He was starting to get a headache. They had been thinking, and studying, for almost two hours to no avail. They had been working on this since summer started and had gotten nofurther than finding and destroying the locket. And that had been more Dumbledore's doing than anything.

"You are two are too young to be _this_ stressed out," said a voice from the doorway. Harry looked up in surprise to see his mother standing there with a small smile on her face.

"Oh! Hi, Mrs. Potter," Hermione said warmly.

"Hello, Hermione," Lily said with a laugh. "Ron."

"Hey, Mum. You're home early," Harry commented, checking the time. He hadn't expected either of his parents to be home for another few hours.

"Thanks," Lily said with a laugh. "I can just leave again if it's such a problem."

"No, don't go, Mum!" Grace exclaimed, running up behind her and hugging Lily from behind. Lily laughed and lost her balance, having to catch herself on the doorframe. "Harry's just a grumpy-pus 'cause he sucks at this."

"Shut up, Grace," Harry snapped. She couldn't take anything seriously _at all_.

"Grace, be nice. Harry's doing a great job, It's just really hard. Even Professor Dumbledore's been having trouble with this," Lily explained.

"Which is why we need to help out in any way we can," Harry said, glaring down at the parchments and books that covered his bed.

"Which is very good of you," Lily said. "But Professor Dumbledore is doing a fine job and you don't need to push yourself so hard on this. Don't tell me you've been doing this all day."

"No, we played Quidditch earlier!" Ron announced with a grin.

"Good. Thank you, Ron," Lily said with a smile. Harry turned and eyed his best friend who smiled sheepishly. Harry wouldn't put it past his parents to bribe Ron into staying the night and _making_ Harry get his mind off his work. He appreciated their concern, but he knew that he needed to get this done. "Now why don't you three go play Quidditch with Gracie. Keep her out of my hair while I get dinner done before your father gets home."

"I won't be in your hair!" Grace exclaimed indignantly. "I like to help cook!"

"You like to add sugar where it isn't needed, too much salt, and that's only when you're actually trying," Lily said with a fond smile. "Not to mention slathering chocolate syrup over the chicken, hiding a Golden Snitch in our spaghetti, slipping a Babbling Beverage into our butterbeer. I don't even know where you got your hands on _that_."

"I'll never tell," Grace said with a grin.

"Probably the twins," Ron snorted. Grace looked surprised and then shot him a sharp glare when Lily raised her eyebrow. "What? It's obvious. Grace is like their little protégé. When she's of age, I bet they'll both be fighting over who gets to marry her."

"Ron, that's my thirteen year old sister you're talking about!" Harry said with a laugh, throwing a pillow at him. "You can't talk about her marrying anyone yet."

"What? The three of them are like a match made in prankster paradise," Ron said.

"Well that settles it. You're not going to the Burrow or Weasley Wizard Wheezes anymore, Gracie," Lily teased. "We don't need you under _more_ bad influences."

"They're not bad influences! They're just really fun. I'd be this bad no matter what," Grace laughed.

"Right. Well, all the same, you four, outside," Lily said, lightly shoving Grace back into the hallway and motioning for the others to follow.

"Err…I'm not much of a flier, Mrs. Potter," Hermione reminded her uneasily as Ron jumped up and tugged on her hand.

"As long as you distract Grace, I don't care what you do," Lily assured them with a smile. "Off you go, come on."

Lily ushered them outside and Harry and Ron were sure to grab their brooms on the way out. Grace volunteered to stay grounded with Hermione while Ron and Harry mounted their brooms and brought out a Quaffle. Grace kept trying to sneak back into the house, though they all just figured she was determined to do something only because Lily had made a big deal about keeping Grace away.

"Grace, you're thirteen, stop acting like a child!" Harry heard Hermione snap ten minutes in as he flew near them.

"Hermione, you're seventeen, _stop acting like my mother_!" Grace snapped back.

"Hey, play nice!" Harry told them before flying further into the backyard after Ron.

The next time Harry spared them a glance, Hermione was sitting, looking nervous, in the grass while Grace kneeled behind her, doing something with her hair. "Is it just me, or does that not look safe?" Harry asked as Ron neared him. Ron caught the Quaffle and held it in his arms, looking over towards Hermione and Grace.

"Mate, nothing involving your sister can be safe," Ron said. "She's actually worse than the twins. But that's only cause she's so small and innocent looking that she can get away with more."

"Should we warn Hermione?" Harry asked, tilting his head. He watched as Grace poured something that looked like gel into her hands and began rubbing it into Hermione's hair.

"Err…Looks like it's too late," Ron said, eyes widening.

"Shite," Harry sighed, watching as Hermione's hair turned a blue-green color where Grace rubbed the potion in. "GRACE, STOP THAT!" Harry shouted.

"Oh no, what'd she do?" Hermione demanded, grabbing a strand of her slick, blue hair and shrieking when she saw it. "GRACE, WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"I was testing out a new product the twins made! They sent me some for free!" Grace giggled. "Blue's not really your color, Herms."

"Oh no!" moaned Hermione as Harry and Ron flew nearer and dismounted their brooms. "Does it come out?"

"Erm…I didn't really ask," Grace admitted with a sheepish smile. "I probably should before I put it in _my_ hair. I don't want pink hair _permanently_."

"I DON'T WANT BLUE HAIR PERMANENTLY!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Aww it'll be fine, Mione. If all else fails, we can find a potion that's close to your natural hair color," Ron offered.

"What's going-?" said a new voice as the back door opened. Lily stared and sighed heavily, glaring at Grace. "Grace Lily Potter…"

"Mum, she said I could do her hair!" Grace argued immediately.

"I doubt she wanted blue hair, Grace," Lily said with a frown.

"Nope. Not a fan of blue hair," Hermione said, grasping strands of her hair and pulling it around to her face so she could look at them.

"Young lady, _you_'_re_ using your allowance to pay for something to fix Hermione's hair," Lily said sternly. "I swear, we can't leave you alone for two seconds."

"I wasn't alone, you had them watch me! Remember?" Grace pointed out.

"Don't argue with me, Grace," Lily snapped. "Go to your room and stay there until dinner."

"But Mum!" Grace said.

"Go, Grace!" Lily said, pointing to the door. "Apologize to Hermione first."

"Sorry, Hermione," Grace mumbled. "It was just a joke, and I'm sure it won't be hard to fix. But I'm sorry for turning your hair temporarily blue."

"Grace," Lily said warningly.

"I said I was sorry!" Grace said, letting herself be ushered into the house by her mother.

"I cannot believe her!" Hermione mumbled, frowning and tugging at her blue hair.

"I can't believe Fred and George will send _her_ stuff for free. But me? Their brother? Their own flesh and blood? Nooooo," Ron mumbled.

"You should have known better, Mione," Harry said, taking the Quaffle from Ron and putting it back in its box. "You can't let Grace do anything where you can't keep a close eye on her."

"I was trying to keep her distracted!" Hermione defended.

"Well, I think it worked…for a little while," Harry said, holding out his hand to help Hermione up. He then linked his arm through hers while Ron took her other hand in his and they headed back to the house together.

"Don't worry about it, Mione," Ron said, giving her hand a small squeeze. "I still think you're the prettiest girl, even with blue hair."

"Oh, Ron," Hermione sighed with a loving smile.

Even with the two of them dating for nearly two years now, it was still hard to be around them when they were being all lovey-dovey. The sad thing was that it was easier to be around them when they were fighting, which happened rather often, honestly. It worked for them, though. They thrived off their arguments and differences, loving each other for it. It was just hard when your two best, closest friends were so much closer to each other and so…involved that way. Harry did his best not to pay attention to their googly-eyes as he led them into the house.

"Did she really?" Harry heard the familiar voice of his father saying as they entered the house. Harry set his broom in its usual place and walked into the kitchen where James and Lily stood discussing Grace. He noticed Grace trying to sneak from the bottom of the staircase towards the living room and Harry cleared his throat, nodding in her direction. James and Lily both turned to glare at her then Lily spun around, marching over to her. Grace scoffed and shot a nasty glare in Harry's direction.

"Whoa…That really is blue," James said, eyes widening when he saw Hermione.

"Did you think Mum was lying?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Not exactly, but…Bloody hell, Hermione," James said with a frown.

"Thanks, Mr. Potter," Hermione sighed, helplessly flicking the ends of her blue hair.

"It's not _so_ bad," James said with a shrug. "Makes you look like Ricky Blue from the Babbling Banshees. Right?"

"I don't want to look like Ricky Blue! I want _my_ hair back," Hermione said miserably.

"Don't you worry, Hermione," Lily said, walking back into the kitchen. "I have Grace looking for a way to fix it."

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter," Hermione said, quickly tying her hair back with a ponytail she transfigured from a string in her pocket.

"Now go on and wash up. Dinner should be done soon," Lily said.

"You two go on, I need to talk to my parents," Harry said to Ron and Hermione.

Ron looked confused but Hermione seemed to remember what he wanted to talk to them about. She took her boyfriend's hand and pulled him along while Harry leaned back against the counter, looking at his curious parents. "So…I heard about the whole soul mate thing."

James and Lily looked at each other with amused smiles. "Two galleons it was the twins," James said quietly, nudging his wife.

"I'm not betting against that," she scoffed.

Harry laughed. "Yeah, well…"

"Harry," Lily interjected. "You only have two weeks until your birthday."

"I know," Harry said, flushing a bit. "I just…I want to do this as soon as possible. I mean, anything that helps, we should do, right? And…I dunno, we don't have time to waste anymore. I really want to do this."

James turned his uncertain hazel eyes to his wife who just smiled sadly at their son. Harry shifted uncomfortably under her gaze and looked down at his feet. His mother was worrying, undoubtedly, that he was growing up too fast. It was what she had told him when they had a long talk just last week as she expressed her concerns about him putting so much of himself into this Horcrux mission. He was only sixteen and had spent so much of his time being so grown up. She was proud of him, sure, but worried. It was hard not to take on this responsibility, though. The prophecy referred to him. He was the Chosen One, as the _Daily Prophet_ liked to call him. He had to be the one to defeat Lord Voldemort, and as long as that Dark wizard was alive, Harry couldn't rest easy, no matter what anyone else said.

"You can send an owl to Professor Dumbledore or Professor Snape when you have time and ask if either of them has time to meet with you," Lily agreed. "But I don't want you pestering them. You'll only do it when they have time, even if you have to wait until you're seventeen. Chances are, you don't even know your soul mate and it could take time for you to find then meet them and all of that, So, I don't see why you can't at least start the process now," she relented. "But dinner's almost ready, so no letter-writing until you eat."

"She doesn't even ask _my_ opinion on the matter," James mumbled, though he was grinning.

"You'd let Harry and Grace get away with murder if they were so inclined," Lily told him, rolling her eyes and playfully shoving his chest.

"Only if the other person deserved it," James joked. He then eyed Harry. "I was just joking! Don't go out killing people."

"Not even Death Eaters and Dark Lords?" Harry asked.

Lily glared at him and James eyed her. "Errr…Leave that to the professionals, alright?"

"For now," Harry agreed, grabbing a buttered roll from the bowl on the counter and shoving it in his mouth, quickly jumping away before his mother could slap him. He laughed and walked towards the staircase, wanting a quick shower to get rid of the sweaty, dirty feeling he had before they ate. He only got his hand on the railing when there was a loud knock on the front door. Harry quickly changed directions, pushing himself off the railing then walked through the living room towards the front door, stunned to find both Dumbledore _and_Snape standing there.

Snape looked as unpleasant as ever, cold black eyes staring at Harry as if he was the most disgusting thing in the world. Snape was nicer,and by nicer he meant slightly less mean, to Harry than most Gryffindors, mainly because of the man's friendship with his mother. But even if he wasn't being unnecessarily bullied at school, Snape was still a git to most people, a tough teacher, and made very clear his distaste for Harry, Grace, and James.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, stood in dark pink robes with a silver hat to match the silver trimming on his robes. His blue eyes twinkled as they always did and he wore a small, pleased smile. "Good afternoon, Harry. May we come in? Professor Snape and I would like to have a chat with your parents and yourself."


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

* * *

><p>"Err," said Harry, stepping aside. "Yeah, come in."<p>

Dumbledore and Snape both walked in as James and Lily came in from the kitchen. "Oh, hello, Albus! Severus," Lily said with an uncertain smile. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, nothing to worry about, Lily," Dumbledore assured her with a smile. "Shall we sit? Severus and I have something we would like to discuss with you, James, and Harry."

"Alright, have a seat," Lily said. "I'll just go check on the food and turn everything off."

"Oh, I do apologize, Lily. We did not mean to intrude, but we felt it was best to discuss this as soon as possible," Dumbledore explained.

"It's fine, really," Lily assured them as she walked into the kitchen to turn everything off. Dumbledore and Snape both took separate chairs that sat nearby each other as Harry sat down, hesitantly, on the couch. It was strange enough that Dumbledore and Snape were here so late in the day but they wanted to talk to Harry as well as his parents. They said it was nothing to worry about but Harry couldn't help but wonder if something big was happening. Had they found another Horcrux and Dumbledore wanted to ask him to come, with the permission of his parents? Harry felt a rush of excitement at that thought and looked over his shoulder, hoping his mother would come back in soon.

"Back to your room, Gracie," he heard Lily's voice say. "Tell Ron and Hermione they're welcome to stay but dinner's going to be a little late. We're having a-"

"Mum, I'm tired of being in my room," Grace whined.

"Grace, you are thirteen years old, start acting your age! We have company! Now, go to your room."

"But I found the potion that will turn Hermione's hair back to normal!"

"_Then go help her fix her hair, Grace_!" Lily hissed. "I'll let you know when you can come back downstairs."

Grace sighed heavily. "Yes, Mum."

Lily finally appeared with a small smile. "Would anyone like anything to drink?"

"Oh, don't you worry about refreshments, Lily. I always come prepared," Dumbledore said, pulling a few bottles of butterbeer out of his robes. Harry grinned and Lily smiled gratefully. Then she walked over to the couch to sit in between her son and husband. Everyone took a butterbeer appreciatively except Snape, who only eyed Dumbledore in a manner that made the older wizard shrug and put the bottle away. "Now, where were we?"

Snape sighed heavily then reached into his robes, pulling out a scroll and handing it to Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled as he took it and held it up to show the Potters. "Ah yes! I hold in my hand the results of the latest…Well, we don't really have a name for it yet, do we, Severus?"

"Not yet," Snape replied.

"Well, the latest _soul mate results_, then," Dumbledore said, standing up and taking a few steps nearer where the Potter family sat. "Why don't you take a look at it, Harry?"

Blinking in surprise, Harry reached out to take the scroll then glanced at his parents, who looked just as surprised and curious and confused as he felt. "Umm…Okay," Harry said, fumbling to untie the maroon ribbon that held it together. Someone must have done the soul mate…_thing_…and gotten him as a result. Various people flickered through his mind, though he figured none of them made much sense. Cho, Lavender, Parvati, Marietta, Katie, and other girls that weren't in the Order so wouldn't know about this.

His hands shook slightly in anticipation as he unrolled the parchment and flipped it around when he realized the writing was upside down. His fingers tightened around the parchment, emerald green eyes widening as he stared at the words written there.

_The soul counterpart of Severus Tobias Snape is one Harry James Potter_.

* * *

><p>The soul counterpart of Severus Tobias Snape is one Harry James Potter.<p>

_For several long moments, Severus just stared at the parchment that rested on the table. He blinked and settled back into the couch, barely registering what he had seen. He was dreaming…having a nightmare, really. Maybe he was seeing things. There was no way that the Potter brat was his soul mate. He had known this was going to be a very bad idea! No…It was likely there had been some mistake with this. Who knew if it even worked right? He had tested it out once after Sharon Charles on two living specimen. They had been tested and it turned out to be true. But that could have been a fluke…Sheer luck. That didn't mean this actually worked and was flawless. Maybe the potion in the ink had spoiled or its effects had been dampened somehow._

_Severus sat up and reached out, taking the top sheet of parchment, setting it aside, grabbing the quill and pricking his finger again, letting the tip of the quill soak up his blood a moment before dipping it into the ink before setting it on the parchment then repeating the process of muttering, "_Nomen anima mea._" He settled back and watched as the quill glowed then stood up before it wrote on the parchment. If it was messing up, surely it would provide a different name to prove there was a problem with it._

_When the quill dropped, Severus leaned over and stared at the paper…just stared at it, hoping the words would change in front of his eyes. When nothing happened, Severus glowered at them then flicked his wand, sending the two useless sheets of parchment into the fireplace and muttering a quick spell to light a fire. There was something_very_wrong with that spell._

* * *

><p>"Umm…" Potter Jr. said, just gaping at the parchment and looking up in a panic at his parents. "Is…Is this some sort of joke?"<p>

Dumbledore just smiled pleasantly at the scene and Severus frowned in disgust. He turned his eyes back to the Potters. Potter Jr. just looked to every person in the room anxiously, hoping for some sort of answer. Lily just stared, completely dumbfounded, frowning and looking incredibly pale. Severus had to force himself to tear his eyes from her lovely face and glanced at Potter Sr. He blinked in surprise, but slowly grinned, to Severus's shock. Potter Sr. laughed and turned to them.

"This is great! Very funny. You really had us going," Potter Sr. said. "Who put you up to this? We're going to have to have a talk with Padfoot about his humor."

Dumbledore's smile never left his face. "I assure you, James, this is no joke."

"J-James…" Lily said, finally looking up to her husband. "This…this is…"

"Not real," Potter Sr. assured her. "I mean, come on! That doesn't make any sense!" he said, his grin now strained as he gestured towards the parchment, his laugh a bit panicked.

"For once, we agree on something, Potter," Severus said. He almost instantly regretting speaking the moment all eyes in the room turned to him. Dumbledore had lost his smile, though his eyes hadn't lost their twinkle. Potters Jr. and Sr. stared at him in suspicion. Lily…Well, Lily couldn't quite rid herself of the pure shock in her green eyes, as though she couldn't quite be sure of anything at the moment.

"Not everything in life makes sense, James," Dumbledore explained after a moment. "Some of the best things remain complete mysteries to the human mind."

"I hardly call this _good_, headmaster," Potter Jr. said. "Erm…No offense."

"I assure you, my feelings are the same," Severus replied. "I believe we should perform a test to see if these results hold true or not."

"Wait, I thought this…that this thing was supposed to tell you," Harry said, waving the parchment.

"It is supposed to give you the name of your soul mate," Dumbledore explained. "However, there existed various methods of testing whether or not someone was your soul mate. The technique Professor Snape developed would help find your soul mate. Whereas this tests only tell you whether the person you are performing them with is the right person or not. It's a test that Professor Snape used to verify whether or not his method worked, I believe."

"Yes, it was," Severus said. "Though there must be some sort of fluke and the sooner we prove that something's wrong with it, the better."

"Or prove that there is nothing wrong with it," Dumbledore added.

"No, there's got to be something wrong with it," Potter Sr. said.

"I'm sure there is. As brilliant as you are, Severus, not everyone can do everything perfectly," Lily said, looking relieved.

"Yeah, it's just a mistake," Potter Jr. said.

"Well, then, let us see, shall we?" Dumbledore asked, standing up. "Severus. Harry." He motioned for them both to stand.

Severus sighed heavily before pushing himself to his feet and walking to the center of the room, meeting Potter Jr. halfway. He smirked despite himself at Potter Jr.'s obvious nervousness, uncertainty and fear. Potter Jr. turned and quickly handed the parchment back to his mother before returning to where Severus was waiting in the center of the room.

"Show him the position, Severus," Dumbledore instructed.

Severus could have laughed at the alarmed look on the boy's face. Severus reached out and grabbed the boy's arms, extending them before him straight then sliding his hands up to grasp him just under the elbows. "Hold your arms firm. Hold me in the same area," Severus said distastefully. He felt the boy fumble a bit before wrapping his hands around Severus's arms weakly. "Tightly," Severus instructed, nodding to Dumbledore when the boy had it right.

"Good. Now hold still and focus on each other," Dumbledore instructed. "Keep eye contact, it is the best way."

Great. Now he had to look the boy in the eye…Lily's eyes. Severus steeled himself and met that bright green gaze, never having felt so awkward in his life. Standing so close to the young Potter…_touching_him in such a manner…Looking into his eyes this way. Luckily, Potter Jr. didn't seem to be faring much better. He still seemed a bit dazed and confused over the whole thing. The sooner Dumbledore did this, the sooner they could both rest easy.

Dumbledore held out his wand and pressed its tip against Severus's chest before drawing it slowly from there to Potter Jr.'s as he chanted the words. "_Tantum veneficus of animus materia mos tripudio una in consensio_."

A white silver glow seemed to spread from the top of Potter Jr's head to the tips of his toes, downwards and upwards to meet in the middle. A dark gray-blue glow seemed to spread out of Severus in the same way. The magic flowed down their arms at the same time until meeting in the middle and pausing there for a moment. Seconds later, to Severus's horror, the colors began to mingle and merged in the middle into a murky brownish gray color before pushing back, lightening the further it went, replacing their own individual colors with what turned out to be a dark silver-purple. It began to tingle and burn slightly as it moved back through his body and turned icy cold when it completed. In between them, in a puff of dark purple smoke, was the ancient rune symbol for soul mates.

The room was silent for a long moment. Dumbledore wore a pleased expression and Lily looked horrified. Only Potters Sr. and Jr. looked confused. Potter Sr. turned to his wife, questions in his hazel eyes. Potter Jr. looked from Severus to Dumbledore to his parents and back again.

"So…Erm…What's that mean?" Potter Jr. asked after a while.

"It means you're soul mates, my dear boy," Dumbledore said kindly.

"What?" Potter Jr. said.

"No…No, absolutely not," Potter Sr. said.

"Shite," muttered Lily, dropping her face into her hands.

Shite was right, Severus thought to himself. Potter Jr. could _not_ be his soul mate. Nothing anywhere near related to that idiot git of a Gryffindor could be anything of any importance to Severus. It was a great misfortune to Severus to be forced to have anything to do with his two brats at all at Hogwarts. This, though? This was too much. It couldn't be possible! It didn't make any sense in the slightest!

"You must have done it wrong," Potter Sr. said.

Even Albus Dumbledore could make mistakes. Severus had never been so agreeable with James Potter in all of his life. But yes, if Severus could mess up his own creation, why couldn't Dumbledore screw this spell up? Dumbledore wasn't perfect. No one was, no matter how brilliant and skilled a wizard.

"Even if he did mess it up, it wouldn't have worked at all. That symbol, though? That was the rune meaning soul mates. If he buggered it up, none of that would have happened at all," Lily murmured. She sighed heavily and finally lifted her head, looking from her son to her best friend sadly. "They're…they're soul mates."

"No, they're not!" Potter Sr. snapped. "Absolutely not."

"James," Lily sighed.

"Err…No offense, but could we get a second opinion?" Potter Jr. asked hopefully.

"Harry," Lily scolded.

"I assure you, Mr. Potter, I'm no more pleased about this than you," Severus said, dread filling him deeply. "However, loathe as I am to say it, I don't think performing any more tests will provide more gratifying results."

"This just isn't possible," said Potter Sr., shaking his head.

"Exactly," Potter Jr. agreed.

Denial was tempting but a mind such as Severus's found it hard to continue with providing excuses. There was nothing, no other means of proving the information false. There was no way Dumbledore could have messed up that spell. Lily had been right; if Dumbledore had messed up, nothing would have happened at all. Severus had seen it for himself, had _felt_it. There was no denying this, no matter how much he desperately wanted to.

"James. Harry. Calm down," Lily said, taking a deep, calming breath of her own. "There's nothing to be upset over. Soul mates…It's not always a romantic relationship, correct, Albus?"

"You're correct," Dumbledore said with a nod.

"See? It doesn't…It doesn't have to mean anything strange," Lily said, swallowing hard. It seemed as though she didn't fully trust her own words.

"One should hope not," Severus muttered, eying the boy. Potter Jr. slumped down against the couch, looking lost in thought. Potter Sr., however, looked furious.

"Doesn't _have_ to," Potter Sr. spat. "But it could! What makes you think Snivellus won't use this to try…to try something on Harry!"

"James Irving Potter!" Lily snapped. "Severus is not some…some _pedophile_!"

"Right," Potter Sr. snarled.

"James!" hissed Lily.

"Don't, Lily!" Potter Sr. shot back. "Think for one second! Snape and I hardly have a good past, do we? Huh? We've _never_ been on good terms and he's hardly friendly to Harry. Don't you think, for even one second, that the git would use this to his advantage!"

"It's not like they have to live together, get married or anything like that, James!" Lily shouted. "I don't see how being…being like this is going to change anything! _If_ he wanted to do anything to Harry, he would have done it already! As he hasn't, I don't think he will!"

"I don't trust him!" Potter Sr. retorted.

"Yes, well I do!" Lily snapped back.

"Lily, James," Dumbledore said quietly, but it was enough to get the couple to stop arguing and turning to Dumbledore, looking suddenly sheepish by their outburst. "This is a matter best discussed calmly, I would think."

"Of course, headmaster," Lily said apologetically. Potter Sr. just muttered under his breath like the buffoon he was.

"Now, I assure you, nothing _funny_ will take place between Severus and Harry," Dumbledore said kindly. "I trust Severus with my life, and I should hope that would be enough for all of you." There was a small silence in which Dumbledore waited for all of the Potters to nod their agreement before continuing. "Now,there is no more question as to whether or not they are truly soul mates. What would you like to do about the Soul Bond?"

"I…don't…I don't like it," Potter Sr. said, clearly struggling to keep himself calm. Lily sent him a sharp look and Potter Sr. ignored it pointedly. "I don't want my son entering into any sort of bond with him."

Lily sighed and shook her head. "While I do trust Severus, I don't think I want anything to happen either. At least not until we learn more about Soul Bonding."

"What?" Potter Jr. demanded. "Why?"

Everyone turned to stare at the boy in surprise. Potter Jr. shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny and avoided their gazes. Was the boy actually considering going through with the bond? Severus himself hadn't put forth much thought into that until now. He had been too busy thinking of ways he could have screwed this up, thinking of any excuse that it could be wrong to even think about what they should do if it was true.

Lily was the first to speak. "Well, Harry…Look, there haven't been many cases of soul mates or Soul Bonds. In known history, there have only been about twenty four people in all of the world who ever found their soul mate. At least where it was confirmed. Only five pairs of those ever performed the Soul Bond and there were not many people around who cared to study it. Before now, the last pair known to be soul mates were found in 1902 and the last actual known Soul Bond was in 1847. While I think anything truly dangerous has been ruled out, I don't feel comfortable with you doing this until we know a little more about what does happen."

"But if nothing too bad can happen then what does it matter?" Potter Jr. asked.

"Because you're only sixteen and you shouldn't be jumping into these types of things without knowing the consequences. While Soul Bonds may not sound so bad compared to other bonds that exist, performing any sort of bond with anyone else should not be taken lightly," Lily explained.

"But if it's going to help-" Potter Jr. started.

"It doesn't matter, Harry," Lily cut in sharply. "You keep trying to take responsibility for everything but you don't have to. Yes, this will help some people but you're young, Harry. What you're doing is enough for now.

"Well, Severus," Dumbledore said before any of the Potters could continue arguing. "What do you think?"

"I hardly think it matters since his parents have already made up their minds," Severus explained.

"You don't mean…?" Lily said, looking surprised.

Severus shrugged. "If he would choose to do so, I would not see a problem with performing the bond. The idea of being able to broaden one's abilities is intriguing and would do me personally some good, I believe. And with no known harm to come from the bond,I would actually prefer to be able to do so."

* * *

><p>Grace Potter raced from her bedroom down the hallway, slowing down when she neared the staircase where Ron and Hermione were sitting. She held in her hand another small vial of color remover from the kit Fred and George had sent her then sat back down behind Hermione. The top half of her hair was back to its natural brown color, though it had a bit of green tint in it that would, hopefully, go away soon. She would have to ask Fred and George about it to be sure. "I got it," Grace whispered, sitting back down behind Hermione, a bit annoyed that she had to miss so much of the conversation taking place downstairs. "What's going on?" she asked, pouring a bit of the pale gray liquid into her hands and applying it to the still blue portion of Hermione's hair.<p>

Ron turned to her, his blue eyes incredibly wide. "S…Snape is Harry's soul mate."

"Ha!" Grace squealed, slapping her hands over her mouth in response and immediately cringing as she got a bit of the potion in it. She quickly removed her slick hands, wiping her wet mouth on the sleeve of her shirt. Hermione spun around to glare at her, finger over her mouth to keep them both quiet. "Are you serious?" Grace demanded, smacking her mouth a bit and cringing in revulsion at the taste. This was worse than vomit flavored Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans!

"Mhm," Hermione said quietly. "Harry and Mr. Potter were really upset about it and tried to say it wasn't true, but, well, there's no way you can really make mistakes with that test. It either doesn't work or it's true."

"And Harry apparently wants to bond with Snape now," Ron said with a shudder.

"And Snape agrees," Hermione added.

"But your parents are really against it, saying they don't want Harry doing any Bond until they know more about it," Ron explained. "Though I think your dad just doesn't want it to be with Snape, even if it turned out to be the safest bond ever invented."

"Oh wow," Grace whispered, returning to rubbing the potion into Hermione's hair while they strained to listen to the argument taking place downstairs. James was yelling at Snape a bit, calling him a pervert, while Lily tried to calm him down and argue that she still didn't want Harry doing it. Harry, meanwhile, said it would be good. If he and Snape agreed to do it, that was all that mattered. Eventually, Snape told him to shut up and listen to his parents, that his father was too hard headed to ever change his mind.

"Blimey,if they start throwing hexes, I'm going down there to watch! I don't care what anyone says," Ron whispered.

"Ronald!" Hermione scolded. "It wouldn't be good of Mr. Potter and Snape to fight. It's really immature of them as it is to carry on this way."

"Immature, but brilliant," Grace said in awe. She loved listening to this argument. It was always fun seeing people get upset and fight. The fact that they were arguing over whether or not Harry should do a Soul Bond with Snape was just so surreal. Very strange! Grace had to wonder if this wasn't just some elaborate scheme to use against her just so people would make fun of her for falling for it or something. But that seemed like too much trouble and not many people would put that sort of time or effort into a prank. Besides, if they really wanted to screw around, they would have said that Grace was Snape's soul mate or something. 'Better Harry than me,' she thought with a snicker.

"Well, we should probably go soon, Ron. Once Grace finishes my hair," Hermione added and Grace sighed, taking the hint, quickly working more of the potion into her thick hair.

"What? Why? Don't you want to ask Dumbledore about the soul mate thing?" Ron asked. Grace had a feeling he was more interested in listening to the rest of this conversation rather than finding out if his girlfriend of two years was his soul mate or not.

"We can ask him another time," Hermione said impatiently. "Besides, he's busy at the moment and he might have something to do after this. And I'm sure the Potters will want some privacy once Dumbledore and Snape leave to discuss this further."

"Oh alright," Ron said, sounding disappointed.

"I'll let you know how it goes," Grace promised, quickly rubbing the last of the potion into Hermione's hair and checking for any spots she missed. She found a small strand of blue still underneath everything but she figured she could just leave that there. She didn't feel like having to hunt down another phial just for that one area. "Well, you're all done. You'll have to leave it alone for a few hours but you can shower after that. Your hair might be a bit greasy for a few days though, since we used so much in one day."

"Great," sighed Hermione.

"It'll be like dating Snape," Ron muttered.

Grace couldn't help but laugh loudly but forced herself to try to quiet down when Hermione shot her another glare before slapping Ron playfully on the arm. Grace wiped her slick hands on her sweat pants, surprised when it stained the yellow pants red but not really caring. These sweats had so many stains from other stuff and they were mainly just to wear around the house anyway. Hermione stood up and pulled Ron with her. "Okay, we'll go on now. Tell Harry we'll talk to him later and that he can owl us if he needs us. There's a Floo network up here, right?"

"Yeah, in Dad's office," Grace told them. "He won't mind, you can go ahead. Bye! Let me know if your hair turns any other weird colors."

Hermione glared at her. "I will," she said, taking Ron's hand and leading him off down the hall in the direction of James's office. Meanwhile, Grace scooted nearer towards the railing and even moved down a few steps to get closer. She should probably wash up before dinner, especially with how sticky her hands felt and they smelled awful,like hippogriff dung or something. The conversation, though, was infinitely more interesting than cleanliness.

* * *

><p>"…Look, Harry, just give it a while," Lily said. "I'm not saying no forever. There's no need to rush into this anyway."<p>

"But-" Harry said. Maybe it was sort of…really very weird thinking of Snape as his soul mate. The important thing was, though, was that they could help each other. According to Dumbledore, Snape was on their side. And their side needed to be as strong as possible. Soul mates and Soul Bonding could make you stronger. They needed that! The Order needed every upper hand it could get against Voldemort! Besides, they had already agreed that nothing too terrible could come from it. They just did it and they'd be more powerful. Right? He had to admit that _did_ sound a bit too good to be true. But, whatever cost, it would be worth it, right?

"No buts, Harry. I don't want to hear another argument about this," Lily snapped, finally losing patience. "My answer is final. You're just going to have to wait."

Harry was about to argue but his father cut in. "Harry, listen to your mother. Go upstairs and check on your sister."

Sensing that arguing was not going to get him anywhere tonight, Harry sighed and reluctantly stood up. The living room was silent so Harry figured they would be starting more interesting conversations once he was out of the way. As Harry headed out, though, there was a knock on the door. He glanced at his parents who nodded for him to answer it. He changed direction and headed to the door, grinning as he opened it.


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

* * *

><p>"Harry!" said his godfather with a grin, stretching out his arms.<p>

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed happily, moving forward to hug his godfather then Remus, who was with him.

"SIRIUS! REMUS!" shouted Grace's voice and Harry laughed, stepping aside to let them in while Grace's feet pounded on the stairs and she flew into Remus's, _her_ godfather's, arms. "What are you doing here?"

"We need a reason to come over now?" Sirius demanded, doing his best to sound offended.

"I believe I'll be going now," said Snape stiffly, standing up from his chair.

Sirius frowned when he realized Snape was there and eyed the man distastefully as he moved.

"Oh, well, good night, Severus!" Lily said, standing up and giving her friend a hug. Harry stood stiffly, waiting for the man to leave. He knew it wouldn't be long before they got to tell Sirius and Remus the…_interesting_…news. He knew that wouldn't be much fun. Just another few rounds of dealing with people in denial. Harry, himself, was still getting used to the idea, though he tried not think of it as something weird like soul mates, just imagining it as a way for he and Snape to help each other out, even if they didn't like each other.

"What was Snape doing here?" Sirius asked almost as soon as the door closed behind the man.

No one seemed able to answer. Dumbledore just smiled and looked from Potter to Potter expectantly. Lily just sighed and James shook his head. Harry looked all around the living room and towards the staircase longingly. Only Grace bounced and grinned as she looked around at the others. When no one else replied, Grace piped up, "Snape is Harry's soul mate!" Grace said giddily.

"Ha!" Sirius exclaimed, immediately bursting into laughter. Grace giggled along with him. Harry closed his eyes and groaned quietly, chancing a glance at Remus who was beside him. Remus's eyes were wide and his face was pale. He eyed Sirius uncertainly then shot a questioning gaze to Harry, who quickly looked away. This was not a conversation he wanted to have again. It was sort of…embarrassing, honestly. His parents were each other's soul mates. Fleur and Bill were soul mates. They were in love and, even if they weren't, they'd still get along okay. But Snape? How on earth had _that_ happened?

"That's what I said at first, too, mate," James sighed.

Sirius's laughter continued on though it was a bit strained now. "What?"

"Uh, Sirius, I don't think they were joking," Remus said quietly.

"But they have to be joking," snorted Sirius. "No way is that greasy git my godson's _soul mate_."

"Sirius!" Lily exclaimed. "That's enough."

"Oh, right. I sometimes forget your strange taste in friends, Lily-doll," Sirius said with a smile.

"I'm not going to argue with you," Lily sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Now….Seriously?" Sirius said with a grin.

"Oh, they were being very serious, Sirius," Dumbledore assured the man. "Severus is young Harry's soul mate. We performed the test and everything."

"But…but…" sputtered Sirius. "That's…That's so _wrong_!"

"Sirius," Remus said quietly in his calming tone. Sirius seemed to back down a bit though he still seemed stricken by the news. Harry glanced at them as Remus placed a comforting hand on Sirius's arm, calming the other man a bit more.

"I'm no happier about it than you," James sighed.

"Then-" Sirius began.

"I assume you and Remus came here for a reason?" Lily cut in, obviously not wanting the conversation to continue. Harry was grateful for it and he glared at Grace for bringing it up, though she didn't seem to notice. She was too busy looking around at everyone else.

"Ah, yes," Sirius said, reaching out and taking Remus's hand, thoroughly surprising the other man. "We came to announce that we're engaged."

Remus gaped at him. James choked on the butterbeer he had just swallowed and it ended up spewing out of his mouth everywhere, including on his wife who squeaked, jumping in response. "I knew it!" Grace exclaimed giddily. Harry just raised his eyebrow, not sure if he should believe it or not. That was sort of…out of nowhere.

"What?" James demanded.

"Don't tell me you believed that," Sirius laughed, quickly dropping Remus's hand.

"Merlin! Sirius!" James snapped, looking around and grabbing a throw pillow to hurl at Sirius who laughed, dodging it.

"No, we're not engaged…But we _are_ soul mates," Sirius explained with a casual shrug.

"Ahhh…I had a feeling there was something going on," Lily said, only looking mildly surprised. "You both seemed so stunned at the meeting. I only guessed…But…Really?"

Sirius snorted. "Snape is your son's soul mate, Lily-doll. Anything is possible."

"He's got a point, Lils," James said with a grin.

Lily fought against a smile but it won out in the end when James, Sirius, and Remus all laughed. James reached over to tickle his wife while Sirius walked over and ruffled her red hair. "I guess you and Remy are sort of perfect for each other," Lily said slyly.

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" Sirius demanded teasingly.

"It means you have to get married," Grace giggled.

"We need to have a talk with your daughter about her humor, Prongs," Sirius said.

"No, I think Gracie's right," Lily said playfully.

"Don't start," Remus said with a small smile. "I could never marry Sirius."

"And why the bloody hell not?" Sirius demanded indignantly. Harry couldn't help but laugh at the silliness occurring and Grace made no attempt to stifle her own loud giggles.

"Because you're not serious about anything," Remus said.

"I'm Sirius about everything!" Sirius argued.

"Oh brother," Harry laughed, rolling his eyes. The whole play on Sirius's name and the word serious was an old joke but, in the current mood, it was hard not to laugh. It felt much better than the very serious atmosphere from only minutes ago.

"You're obnoxious," Remus continued, still smiling to let them all know he was just joking around.

"And you're rude!" Sirius shot back.

"And you have man bits," Remus added, glancing sideways at Grace, as though checking to see if she was still around to know if he had to watch his language or not. Lily probably still would have gotten onto them about their language in front of Harry but it wouldn't be so serious considering he was a bloke and he was almost of age anyway.

"Been checking, have you?" Sirius said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Well you certainly don't have a female figure," Remus defended, face turning pink a bit.

"He's been checking me out," Sirius said with a grin. "I feel a bit violated, I think."

"What should make you feel violated is thinking about what he must have done to you while you were sleeping," James muttered.

"James!" Lily exclaimed, slapping his arm playfully. Remus cleared his throat uncomfortably and turned even redder. "Look, you're upsetting him."

"I'm not upset!" Remus said. "Just wondering how this turned onto me."

"That's what you get for not wanting to marry me," Sirius said.

"Well," Remus said. "We don't want to continue wasting the headmaster's time. We came to tell Lily and James about this but, since you're here, would you mind performing the Soul Bond for us, Albus?"

"I'd be delighted, Remus," Dumbledore said with a kind smile, standing up.

"Oh Merlin! What if I'm getting cold feet?" Sirius asked with a grin. "Prongs! Be my best man, will ya?"

"Sirius! Be serious!" scolded James with a laugh, reaching over the back of the couch to shove Sirius along.

Harry and Grace walked around to squeeze onto the couch with their parents while Sirius and Remus moved to the center of the living room. Both looked very uncomfortable and uncertain though Sirius was still trying to smile, appearing as casual as always. Dumbledore dug around in his pockets. "You are both incredibly lucky that I always travel well prepared," Dumbledore said with a smile, finally pulling out a few objects and holding them in his hands. "Have you memorized the words?"

"Err…" said Sirius.

"I have," Remus assured him. "Sirius, you just repeat everything I say back to me."

"Got it," Sirius said with a nod, looking relieved.

Dumbledore smiled and shifted the objects all to one hand while the worked the top of a phial off with his free one. "You must stand about a foot apart. Yes…Now hold out your hands." Sirius and Remus held out their hands, palms up, nearly touching. Dumbledore poured the contents of the phial over them. It left their hands shiny. Though, the moment some of the excess that slid off their hands hit the floor it only created a small bit of sparkling golden smoke that blew around their ankles a moment before dying down. Dumbledore them replaced the topper and slid it back into his pocket before pulling out a box of matches. When he lit one the flame was a strange and vibrant reddish pink color. Dumbledore motioned for them to bring their hands closer until both pairs of hands were as close as possible without covering each other. Dumbledore then dropped the match onto their hands. Sirius and Remus both hissed in pain, arms twitching, though they kept their hands together.

Harry watched the entire thing, transfixed. He barely blinked, not wanting to miss one moment of this.

When the match hit their hands, the flame blew out and where the potion had covered their hands now glowed in a somewhat darker shade of the color the flame had been. Finally, Dumbledore held out a knife and made a small cut into each of their palms before placing the knife back into its sheath then back into his pocket, motioning for them to join hands. Remus motioned for Sirius to cross their arms to hold their hands, both crossed at the wrist, and linking their fingers as they did so, taking an awkward moment for Remus to situate them correctly before looking to Dumbledore expectantly.

"You must remain silent while the ceremony takes place," Dumbledore informed the Potters quietly, though Harry doubted anyone, even Grace, had any intentions of doing anything to interrupt this. He then turned his gaze back to Sirius and Remus and instructed them to look into each other's eyes and for Remus to begin.

"_Ego redimio meus animus ut vestri_," Remus said.

"_Ego redimio meus animus ut vestri_," Sirius repeated.

Dumbledore placed the tip of his wand to the middle of where their hands were joined. "_Planto illa duos animus unus_." A strip of glowing pale green light wound its way around their wrists.

"_Ego commodo meus veneficus ut vestri_," Remus said.

"_Ego commodo meus veneficus ut vestri_," Sirius repeated.

"_Permissum suum veneficus permoveo una_," Dumbledore said, a spark of purple light snaking its way around their wrists now, encircling the green light.

"_Ego patefacio meus mens vobis_."

"_Ego patefacio meus mens vobis_."

"_Permissum lemma reputo ut unus_." A jet of blue light joined the others, making it look like a thick, colorful, glowing chain.

"_Ego patefacio meus pectus pectoris vobis._"

"_Ego patefacio meus pectus pectoris vobis._"

"_Permissum diligo redimio lemma intemporaliter._" A jet of red light then joined the others.

"_Ego trado meus somes expleo is sacramentum_."

"_Ego trado meus somes expleo is sacramentum_."

"_Permissum totus of lemma utriusque certamen. Duos res per unus fatum. Quicumque they es vadum thrive ex unus alius. Una they es universus_." Dumbledore finished. The magic chain holding their wrists glowed white now and, for a brief moment, the blinding light seemed to consume them both before suddenly disappearing, leaving the whole living room feeling darker than it actually was.

Harry shivered involuntarily and blinked rapidly until he could see them better. Sirius and Remus stood, their hands still clasped, staring at each other in such an intense way it was hard to look at. If Harry didn't know any better, he might have expected them to kiss. It had to be the mood of the whole thing, though. Just in the audience, Harry had felt something very strong tugging at him while the ritual was performed. He could feel the power and the magic working its way around them, captivating them all. They were just the observers. How much more intense had it been to Remus and Sirius? That probably explained the way they were looking at each other.

Suddenly, they dropped hands as though burned.

Harry blinked and looked away from them and instead glanced at his family. The others were just now moving, looking rather uncomfortable and anywhere but at Sirius and Remus. Obviously, they had noticed something, too. Only Grace wore a little smile because of it.

"So…That was it?" Sirius asked, clearing his throat. "It worked?"

"I believe so," Dumbledore said. "It is the first time I have performed that particular bonding. However, from the sheer amount of power at play, I'm more than positive it was a success. I'm only curious as to whether or not it has left any sort of mark."

"Mark?" Remus asked.

"Yes," replied Dumbledore. "The book never said, though a vast majority of bonds leave some sort of physical mark of declaration. Very few do not. But I still wouldn't be worried if it hasn't." Dumbledore reached out and took one of Remus's hands, turning it in his own for a moment before saying "Ahhh," turning the hand towards Remus to point it out to him.

"Oh," said Remus in surprise. "Well, that's not so bad. It only looks like…like a birth mark or something."

"Yes, that is why I almost didn't recognize it. Only the magical signature behind it led me to it," Dumbledore explained.

"What is it?" Sirius asked, leaning over to peer at it before looking at his own hand to find his.

"I want to see!" Grace exclaimed, hopping up and skipping over to them, taking her godfather's hand from Dumbledore to look.

"It could be some sort of ancient symbol or something," Remus said thoughtfully. "It sort of looks like a rune, Though I can't really place it…"

Curious now, Harry stood up and walked over to Sirius, looking where Sirius held out his hand, pointing. Only thin, darkened lines stood out on one side of his hand. It looked really…odd, whatever it was.

"Let me see," Lily said, standing up and walking over to them. James stood up and followed shortly behind her.

"No, it's not," Grace said with a grin.

"Grace," laughed Lily, looking as though she would say more.

"No, it's not!" Grace quickly said. "Look…Look here. This," she said and Harry had to lean over to watch her trace the topmost part of the mark. It was uneven at the top and looked like three bumps or incomplete circles of some sort with a curve on one side. It led down and around so that a half, incomplete circle was directly beneath it. It was all one line, every shape connected. Grace traced the design above the circle. "That looks like a paw print, right? And this," she said, tracing the curved line under it, "looks like a moon." Grace looked up, grinning, pleased with herself. "See?"

"Yeah,I think she's right," Harry said, grinning as he looked at the thing again. It wasn't very obvious at first glance. He figured it was a lot like finding shapes in clouds or something.

"It _does_ look like it _could_ be a rune but it's been forever since I looked at them," Lily said with a frown. "Though I do see what Grace sees. . Well, I'm sure that's it, then."

"Ha. Padfoot and Moony," James said with a grin.

"Padfoot and Moony sitting in a tree!" Grace sang.

"Hush, you brat," Sirius said with a grin, leaning over to shove her gently.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Grace sang and giggled, quickly running around Remus to hide behind her dad. "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Remus with a baby carriage!"

"Ha. Well at least I'm the man in the relationship," Sirius said with a grin.

"Fathers can't push baby carriages?" Remus asked, rolling his eyes.

"Not in this song, they don't!" Sirius said with a grin.

They acted so natural now, it was as though nothing strange had ever happened. Still, there was something Harry noticed in the way Grace sang her song, the way she spoke and how she watched them, as though she actually expected more. As if she really thought there was more there. Which was crazy. They had known Sirius and Remus for years now. If nothing else, Sirius was too much of a lady's man to be gay.

"If it is indeed as young Miss Grace believes, then they must all be unique," Dumbledore said. "Of course, this is only the first time I've done so. We'll have to check with every pair we perform the bond on now."

"I can't wait to see what Lils and I come up with," James said with a grin, hugging his wife.

"But not tonight," Lily said with a smile. "I want to make it a special event. When do you think you'll be free, Albus?"

"How about in three days time?" Dumbledore said.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you so much, Albus," Lily said with a smile. "Now, would you all care to stay for dinner?"

"No thank you, Lily. I must be going now.I only ask for a quick word with Harry before I leave," Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded then followed Dumbledore to the door and just outside. He wondered if Dumbledore _did_ have news about Horcruxes or something to discuss with him as he had first thought when Dumbledore arrived with Snape.

"Your birthday is coming soon, is it not?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yeah, in two weeks," Harry said.

"And you'll be of age this year," Dumbledore said. "Able to join the Order of the Phoenix?"

"Yeah?" Harry said, confused now and wondering where this was going.

"Old enough to decide for yourself if you would choose to bond with Professor Snape?"

Oh.

Harry grinned. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Two weeks is not a horribly long time," Dumbledore assured him. "I don't make it my business to go encourage children to go against the wishes of their parents. However, I believe you're old enough to make mature decisions, Harry, and considering you and Professor Snape both seem agreeable in this…How much good it could do you both…I'm sure he would not be opposed to meeting with you at your convenience to discuss this particular matter, if you are serious about it."

"Yeah, I think I am," Harry said, nodding his head. It was still so strange thinking of all of this, especially when he had been there to witness how strong the ceremony had been for Sirius and Remus. The fact that there could be anything more between him and Snape was just plain weird, something that was hard to wrap his head around. But it could be good, Harry thought to himself. Maybe these two weeks before his birthday would be useful in learning more about it before he went into it. But Harry was more than positive that this was what he wanted to do. "Thank you, Professor."

"Not at all, Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Now, go enjoy your dinner. I believe we'll be meeting again in three days. Good night, Harry."

"Night," Harry said, waving as Dumbledore walked down the stone pathway that led across the yard until he was able to Disapparate. Harry had to fight a grin as he walked back into his house. He couldn't help but be excited. Even if he did have to do this with Snape.


	7. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

* * *

><p>The bonding of Lily and James Potter was a small affair. It was almost like a small vow renewal or something similar. Lily had dressed up nicely for the event in a beautiful lavender dress that showed off her figure nicely. Her dark red curls hung loose around her lovely face. She wore no makeup, she rarely did wear the stuff and, for that, Severus was immensely glad, then had sprayed on some of her favorite perfume. She was all smiles and her bright eyes were glittering in her happiness as she took her place with her husband in the middle of the living room with Dumbledore beside them. Their closest friends and family were present. Her children sat together on the loveseat looking all dolled up for the event. Black, Lupin, and Mary Macdonald were also there. Somehow, Severus found himself on the guest list as well, finding it hard to deny Lily anything, even this. As painful as it was, perhaps seeing her bond herself to that insufferable man would ease his suffering a bit. The more he reminded himself that Lily never would, or could, be his, the better it would be.<p>

He broodingly watched as Dumbledore began the ceremony then poured the potion over their hands and lit the match. Severus glanced around to the other occupants of the room. The Potter children were watching their parents intently, as were the others. Black and Lupin, recently bonded, were sitting closer together than necessary, making Severus wonder if there was something going on with them. Mary Macdonald wore a shaky smile and Severus didn't doubt she'd be in tears by the end of this. He rolled his eyes before turning back to Lily and Potter as they clasped their bleeding hands then began speaking the incantations, the vows, the promises that would bind them entirely. Somehow, it didn't hurt nearly so intensely as it had when he learned that Lily was dating that dunderhead their seventh year. But there was still that awful clenching of his heart as well as the desire to stand and scream for them to stop this before it was too late. He remained silent though, watching as strands of magic intertwined around their wrists and the two were eventually bathed in white light whose brightness Severus cringed against, blinking as it faded.

They looked at each other with so much love and longing that Severus could almost feel their emotions radiating from their bodies. The two seemed somewhat surprised by its intensity and it was only a second before they threw their arms around each other, kissing deeply. Mary Macdonald giggled through her tears. Lupin smiled happily at them while Black looked like he was struggling to hold back all sorts of inappropriate comments. The young female Potter snickered and looked around at everyone else hopefully before opening her mouth. Her brother was pointedly looking away from their parents and caught his sister just in time to clamp his hand over her mouth. The girl made a loud sound in her throat and her brother pulled his hand away in disgust. Severus assumed the beast had licked or bitten him. Green and hazel eyes narrowed at one another but the child at least shut up. Severus glanced back at the happy couple then turned back away when he realized they were still wrapped around each other.

Finally, Dumbledore had the sense to clear his throat then they forced themselves to pull away, still staring at each other in awe and didn't at first look the slightest bit ashamed. "Wow," Lily breathed, a tear escaping and rolling down her cheek.

Severus's heart ached for her and pressed his lips tightly together as Potter reached out to brush it away. After a few moments, they finally broke eye contact and the spell was broken. Lily blushed and looked around apologetically as she cleared her throat. Potter just grinned proudly and took her hand in his.

"Aww! They're so happy!" Little Girl Potter said giddily. "I wonder if it's like that for everyone." She looked pointedly Severus's direction and Severus raised her eyebrow. Her brother followed the direction of her gaze and his eyes widened when he saw Severus and quickly looked away.

"I somehow doubt it," Potter Jr. said grumpily. Severus snorted and looked away from them. He felt sorely out of place here. He didn't like these people, with the exception of Lily herself and Dumbledore. He wasn't happy for them like everyone else was, wasn't touched by their displays. He just wanted to go home and read a nice book or drink something strong or something just for the enjoyment of it. He'd maybe even get a bit of work done with an experimental potion of his or visit the Malfoys. Severus was already listing in his head the many things he would have rather been doing than sitting here, watching the woman he loved be happy with someone else.

"Congratulations on your successful bonding," Dumbledore told them with a smile, that mad twinkling in his eyes. He was holding their arms, looking at their new marks. "Enjoy your celebrations! Now if you will excuse me, I have a meeting with Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour to discuss their own bonding and wedding."

"I'm sorry you can't stay," Lily said, hugging the old wizard. "Thank you so much for officiating for us, Albus."

"It was an honor, Lily," Dumbledore said and bid his goodbyes before leaving. Severus watched him leave, contemplating making his own excuses to get out of here. No one but Lily might miss him and she would be just fine whether he was there or not. As Dumbledore walked out of the door and the others stood, Severus cleared his throat then rose to his feet. Before he could say anything to Lily, Black walked up to him. Severus sighed heavily. "Yes?"

"I heard you want to marry my godson," Black said.

Severus's eyes grew wide and he couldn't help but glance to Potter Jr. and Lily, who both gaped at him. "Sirius!" Lily exclaimed. "Unless you want us to start saying you and Remus are 'married'—"

"Hey, what did I do to deserve this?" Lupin demanded teasingly, though he was eying his friend warily.

"Fine, fine," Black snapped. "You're Harry's soul mate and you want to bond with hm."

"I wouldn't say 'want', Black. I don't necessarily 'want' to tie myself to a _Potter_," he spat. "However, I would not mind doing so, as the benefits far outweigh the consequences that would come from 'binding' myself to some _boy_ who is half my age."

Severus was very tempted to insult Potter Jr. badly but refrained from doing so to keep from upsetting Lily too much. Calling the boy an arrogant fool, among other things, was hardly a way to warm her to him. Luckily, after all these years, he had learned restraint and the art of doing enough to Potter Jr. to keep himself sane while not going too far, therefore crossing Lily.

"Whatever you say," snorted Black. "Not like I'd believe anything you say, Snivellus."

"Sirius!" Lily snapped, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No need, Lily," Severus said calmly, doing his best to swallow back the surge of anger that ran through him at the sound of his old 'nickname.' "If he thinks the best he can do to affect me is the usage of an uncreative name he made up over two decades ago, because he can't quite let go of old grudges that never held any purpose, he should realize that the only thing he is succeeding at is showing everyone how immature, unintelligent, and crass he is."

Potter Sr. stepped forward angrily. "Listen here, Snape! I am not going to let you insult my best friends under my own roof."

"He was defending himself, James!" Lily snapped. "Merlin knows Sirius _deserves it_!"

Black's eyes narrowed further and he gritted his teeth. Severus raised an eyebrow challengingly. Let him do or say more to further anger Lily. Even his best mate, Potter Sr., wouldn't do much once they touched on Lily's last nerve. "I'm only here to warn Snape that if he tries to do anything to harm _your son_ that he has a lot of people to deal with."

"Severus isn't going to do anything to Harry!" Lily snapped. "Honestly, you are one of the most thick-headed men I have ever met! Furthermore, _I_ will not have _you_ insulting _my_ best friend under _our_," at this she glared at Potter Sr., "roof."

Black opened his mouth but Lupin quickly intervened by stepping forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sirius, let it go. It's not worth it."

"Course not," Black muttered, backing off though he still glared at Severus. Lily glared at Potter Sr. and nudged him then he whispered something soothingly into her ear before shooting an apologetic look in his friends' direction.

Severus scoffed and shook his head. "As fun as it would be to instigate something with the mutt, I do have business I must take care of," Severus said to Lily.

"Oh, really?" Lily asked, sounding disappointed.

Severus almost immediately wanted to take it back and it did warm his heart a bit that she was sad to see him go. He didn't care how relieved everyone else looked to see him go.

"You can't even stay for a little bit? It would be good to have some intelligent conversation around here," she said teasingly.

"Hey!" cried out five very indignant voices and was almost immediately followed by laughter when everyone realized they had spoken at once.

"Lils, I just bonded myself to you and you're already insulting me. It hasn't even been ten minutes yet!" Potter Sr. exclaimed.

"I really am wounded, Lily-doll," Black said.

"I thought I was your favorite, Mum!" Lily's daughter said with a pout.

"Psh. You are not her favorite," Potter Jr. shot back.

"Hey, just because you're marrying her best friend does not mean _you're_ her favorite!" the girl said, to Severus's horror.

"I am not marrying Snape!" Potter Jr. shot back. "Shite, Grace."

"Language, Harry," Lily said warningly.

"Ha!" the immature girl said, sticking out her tongue.

"Grace," Lily said with a glare. "Anyway, _aside from Remus_, you see what I have to live with?" Lily said, motioning to everyone else. Lupin smiled gratefully in her direction and shot Black a teasingly triumphant look. Severus couldn't help but laugh quietly, to the shock of the majority of the room. Lily only smiled brightly at him.

"As loathe as I am to leave you to such childish antics, I really do have things I must get done today," Severus said reluctantly.

"Oh, alright," Lily said, stepping forward and hugging him tightly.

Severus allowed himself to hug her back and couldn't resist looking up to Potter Sr., who was glowering dangerously at him. Severus only smirked then gave her a squeeze, enjoying the feel of her warm and soft body, having to force himself to pull away.

"Thank you for coming. I'll come visit you tomorrow, then."

"I look forward to it," Severus promised. Any visit from Lily was always welcome. He nodded curtly to the others before walking swiftly out of the house and was halfway down the path that led away from the house when he heard the door open. Severus glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see Lily bringing him something he had forgotten or Black or Potter. Sr. coming out waving threats. He was surprised to see Potter Jr. hurrying towards him, glancing warily over his shoulder.

"Hey, Professor Snape!" he said breathlessly, stopping in front of him. "I was wondering if there was any chance we could meet soon to talk about this whole bonding thing? I turn seventeen in less than two weeks."

Severus raised his eyebrow. The brat was serious about this then? He certainly looked like it. Severus glanced up at the house, eyeing the windows and relaxed when he saw that no one was watching or eavesdropping. "You know where I live?"

"Yes, sir," Potter Jr. replied.

"I will be home and not very busy this Saturday. You may drop by whenever you have the chance that day," Severus agreed. He did not exactly like that the Potter brat knew where he lived nor did he want him in his private space but he figured this was important enough to allow it. If the boy really wanted to go through with this, they would need to talk about it.

"Alright, thanks," Potter Jr. said, nodding awkwardly to him before turning and jogging back to the house.

* * *

><p>When Albus Dumbledore arrived to the Burrow, Fred and George were quick to greet him at the door. "Good morning, Professor!" they said in union, standing aside for the older wizard to walk in.<p>

"Fleur will be here soon," George said.

"She's looking at wedding gowns with her mum right now," Fred added.

"So we were wondering if we could borrow you for a few minutes," said George.

"Before they show up," Fred added.

"You see—"

"—we'd really like to 'discover' our soul mates—"

"—right about now."

"Wonderful," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I take it since you were so keen on waiting you would prefer to do so in private?"

"Yes, please!" the twins agreed.

"We can go up into the attic," George said.

"We told mum we were grabbing a bunch of our old things," Fred said with a wicked smile.

"No one will bother us up there."

Ron and Ginny watched curiously from the living room as the twins led Dumbledore upstairs before jumping up to go find their mother. The twins weren't worried, though they did want to do this away from prying eyes. They already had a feeling they knew what their results would say and would rather not deal with scrutiny from it just yet. After leading the way to the attic, they stood side by side grinning as Dumbledore closed the door behind him.

"So I take it you remember how the process works?" Dumbledore asked with a smile as he pulled the necessary equipment from his robes, placing the parchment, quill, and inkpot on a nearby pile of boxes.

"Yes, sir!" the twins agreed and both reached for the quill at the same time, though George got to it first then grinned triumphantly at his twin. He then made a grand show of pricking his finger and dipping it into the ink, placing it down onto the parchment and announcing dramatically, "_Nomen anima mea_!" He grinned and stood back, watching as the quill danced across the parchment. When it fell down, all three leaned forward to look at what it read.

_The soul counterpart of George Fabian Weasley is one Fred Gideon Weasley._

"I knew it!" the twins exclaimed, grinning at each other and high fiving.

"I, myself, had an idea it might work this way for twins," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Particularly identical twins."

"We wanted to be sure before we did anything," George said.

"But we definitely did not want to do this in front of everyone," Fred said.

"You know what they would think."

"Assume."

"And the like."

"No matter what you say—"

"They're still going to think that something—"

"Funny is going on."

"Is there?" Dumbledore asked in amusement.

Fred and George shared a look. "Why would we tell anyone that?"

* * *

><p>While Dumbledore dealt with the twins, both Ron and Ginny eagerly pestered their mother, who was preparing lunch in the kitchen.<p>

"Is he here?" Molly Weasley asked, looking surprised as he continued to cut up a tomato. "I can't believe I didn't notice him come in."

"The twins already snatched him away to the attic," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"Do you think he'd have time to do me and Hermione?" Ron asked.

"Why don't you go ask Hermione if she even wants to do it," Ginny suggested.

"Of course she wants to!" Ron exclaimed, rolling his eyes at Ginny's skeptical look. "You saw how she was about it when the twins told us about the whole thing."

"You're seventeen, Ron, do what you want," Ginny reminded him. "But…Mum! I was wondering…Can I _please_ do it too? I know I tried not to make a big deal about it, but I'm honestly curious and, well, I don't know if I would want to do anything about it. I really don't at the moment, but I do want to know. Would that be okay?"

"I don't know, Ginny," Molly said uncertainly.

"Mum!" Ginny exclaimed. "Please? I'll be nicer to Fleur!"

"You should be doing that already," Molly reminded her. "Though I don't suppose it would do much harm just to _know_."

"Thank you!" Ginny exclaimed, jumping and throwing her arms around her mother.

"I hope you're not thinking it's Harry," Ron said.

"Don't be stupid, Ron," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "I already know his soul mate is Snape."

"Professor Snape, dear," Molly reminded her.

"What? How do you know that?" Ron demanded.

"Hermione told me," Ginny laughed. "Besides, I'm not worried. Unlike most people, I _remember_ that soul mates don't have to be anything weird."

"I don't think that," Ron mumbled.

"There we go!" George said happily, entering the room.

"Now that that's all sorted," Fred said.

"We celebrate!"

"What are we celebrating?" Molly asked.

"Who are your soul mates?" Ron asked.

"Like we'd tell you, little brother," Fred said.

"What? Why not?" Ron demanded.

"Because it just isn't any of your business," chuckled George.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Ginny exclaimed, walking back into the living room as Dumbledore finished walking downstairs. "Ron and I wanted to test ourselves for our soul mates. Mum said it was okay that I did it."

"Good, good," Dumbledore said. "Let's have a seat, then."

Dumbledore sat himself at the dining room table then Ron and Ginny sat on either side of him as he pulled out the things he needed. "All you have to do," he explained, "is prick your finger on the quill, dip it into the ink then set it onto the parchment and say '_nomen anima mea_.' The quill will then write out the name of you and your soul mate."

"Blimey! That's a good bit just to see your soul mate," Ron muttered, snatching the quill before Ginny could reach for it. Ginny glared at him.

"Just because it involves more than _speaking_," Ginny said, rolling her eyes at her brother's laziness.

Ron didn't care. He thought it was a bit weird you had to do so much for it but he wasn't complaining much. Hermione was upstairs doing some reading and he could surprise her with this whenever he was done. She would be so excited and they could start planning their bonding ceremony. Maybe he'd even propose. Not that he had much money, but he didn't care. He loved her so much and if they were soul mates then they were going to bond anyway so why not go all the way? He already knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Even if they were young.

He did as he was told, pricking his finger, dipping it into the ink and saying the words, watching as the quill rose and began to write.

* * *

><p>Severus had not been home very long when he got the firecall. He had poured himself a glass of Superior Red and had sat down on his couch with a book Lily had given him for his birthday, <em>A Game of Thrones<em> by George R. R. Martin. She knew him well and he was enjoying the book a lot. He hadn't had much time for pleasure reading. His birthday was in January and, now here in July, he was only a little over halfway through it. Between classes, Death Eater meetings, Order meetings and other responsibilities, he barely had leisure time. He was grateful for today, though, a chance to catch up on his reading and just relax for once. Or so he had believed.

"Severus?"

Severus sighed and glanced up from the book to where Draco Malfoy's head was in the fireplace. It wasn't that he disliked his godson but he didn't necessarily want to see him all of the time. He was in no mood for company. "What is it?"

"Can I come through?" Draco asked.

"Is it important?" Severus asked.

"I'm a Malfoy, of course it's important," Draco said haughtily.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Will it be quick?"

"I hope so," Draco replied.

"Very well," Severus sighed, marking his place in the book and setting it aside. "Come along."

Draco smiled gratefully and, a second later, he stepped through the fireplace gracefully then brushed off his robes. "I'll cut right to the chase so that you can get back to your book," Draco said. "My parents informed me of your latest invention and how you showed them that they are soul mates. While my father does not put much stock in the idea of soul mates and bonding, my mother does. So, I've decided that I would like the opportunity to see mine as well."

Severus raised his eyebrow. "For what purpose?" he asked. Lucius and Narcissa had been his second test of the project after Sharon Charles killed herself. Dumbledore hadn't thought it was a good idea sharing this with Lucius but Severus didn't think it mattered. Neither Lucius nor the Dark Lord would think highly of something like soul mates. They would view it as dependency, weakness and other unfortunate things. Severus would have thought Draco to share his father's opinions on the matter rather than his mother's romantic thinking.

"Truthfully?" Draco said. "To avoid being betrothed to Pansy. Also, because mother says that knowing my soul mate can make me better and stronger. Maybe with it I can avoid…certain things."

Like becoming a Death Eater. Severus could almost hear the boy saying the words.

Severus considered his godson for a moment. It still seemed very strange to him that Draco was here for this purpose but he didn't see the problem with doing it. Finally, he nodded his head and stood up, motioning for Draco to follow him. They walked into the spare bedroom that he had turned into an office and he sat behind his desk. He rummaged through the top drawer before producing the special inkpot, quill and a blank sheet of parchment before giving Draco the instructions on how to perform the test, watching as his godson picked up the quill.


	8. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

* * *

><p><em>The soul counterpart of Ronald Billius Weasley is one Hannah Emily Abbott<em>.

Ron gaped in shock at the words that appeared on the parchment. Hannah Abbott? That Huffelpuff girl? Ron blinked a few times, trying to make sure he wasn't reading Hermione's name wrong. Hermione Jean Granger that's what it was supposed to say! Not Hannah Emily Abbott! Ron whimpered then looked up helplessly at Dumbledore and Ginny. Ginny frowned at the words while Dumbledore smiled kindly. He wanted to speak, to say something had gone wrong, but the words were stuck in his throat.

"Would you like to contact Miss Abbott?" Dumbledore asked.

"No!" Ron choked out. "I…I can't! Her…Hermione?"

"Ah, yes. I was wondering if she would wish to contact her soul mate as well but she seemed nearly as upset as you," Dumbledore explained. "Didn't she tell you?"

"Sh…She said…She said she never had…That you never had…That…time," Ron sputtered.

"She saw him the same day Fred and George told us," Ginny explained quietly, looking guilty. "She was so upset and was too scared to tell you so she just said that she hadn't been able to ask yet."

"She knew?" Ron demanded angrily. The pain and confusion were only adding on to his bad temper. "She knew and she's been lying to me?"

"Ron," Ginny sighed. "She's upset and was scared you'd get upset."

"Damn right I'm upset! And I had the right to know!" Ron shouted. He grabbed the parchment and glowered at his sister. "And you! You're my own flesh and blood! If she didn't tell me, _you_ should have!"

"Ron, that's not fair! She made me swear not to tell!" Ginny exclaimed. She stood up to follow him as he stormed upstairs, undoubtedly to confront his girlfriend on the matter. She stopped when Dumbledore held up his hand, however.

"You wanted to see your soul mate as well," he reminded her.

"Yes, but…" Ginny said then bit her lip as she watched Ron go off. She sighed and sat back down. She had a feeling there wasn't much she was going to be able to do and it's not as if Ron would actually physically hurt Hermione. Emotional harm, however…Ginny had to keep him calm. But Dumbledore shook his head and Ginny sighed. "Alright then," she said taking the quill and eying it to make sure it was clean before pricking her own finger then dipping the quill into the inkpot.

* * *

><p>Draco stared at the parchment in horror. Severus stared down at it as well, quirking an eyebrow and glancing up at his godson. "It's a lie," Draco said quickly, shaking his head as he poked the parchment. "You're not very good at this."<p>

"I thought the same thing," Severus drawled, frowning as he recalled his own denial over his apparent ties to Potter Jr.

"What?" Draco asked. "So, you admit it doesn't work? Mother will not be pleased."

"It works, Draco," Severus said impatiently. "I only meant that you are not the first to be in denial over your results."

Draco eyed him. "You? Well, then, who did you get?"

"I am not sure that is any of your business, Draco," Severus snapped. Of all things, he didn't want to talk about his _soul mate_ right now. Especially not with his godson. Not with anyone who didn't already know. If Potter Jr. did consent to bond with him then the truth would inevitably come out. But Severus would bide his time until he was forced into facing it.

"It can't be as bad as this!" Draco said, snatching up the parchment and waving it around. "A Weasley!"

Severus rolled his eyes. "The last I checked, Hermione Granger was _not_, in fact, a Weasley."

Draco snorted. "She is practically married to that Weasel anyway. I bet she has a few ginger buns baking in her oven right about now."

"Draco," Severus said warningly. He didn't particularly care for Granger. She was annoying, honestly, but he really did not want to hear all of this from Draco. "Despite her shortcomings, Granger is a very intelligent and powerful young witch. Personally, I believe it makes some sense as she can match, or surpass, you in either area."

"She's a bloody know it all! And my soul mate cannot be a mudblood!" Draco hissed, shaking his head. "No, no, no…This isn't right. Something must be wrong with it."

Severus sighed heavily and glared at his godson. "I'm not going to argue with you. Nor will I sit here and pity you. Those are your results. Whether you buy into it or not is up to you. You may take your leave."

"Right then," Draco said stiffly, grimacing at the parchment once more before balling it up and tossing it across the room then heading back out into the living room to the fireplace. Severus followed not far behind him, settling into his chair and picking his book back up. If he didn't think he'd need it for emergencies he'd lock up his Floo network for the afternoon to just enjoy himself. Hopefully, no one else would feel the need to bother him today.

* * *

><p>"Hermione!"<p>

Hermione gasped and jerked her head up in surprise at the sound of her name. She had been so engrossed in her new Ancient Runes syllabus that she had completely forgotten about the outside world until now. Hermione blinked rapidly for a moment, feeling momentarily lightheaded as she was pulled out of her studies. "Ron?" she said, brushing her hair out of her face and looking up at her boyfriend, surprised to see his face nearly as red as his hair and his blue eyes lit up in fury. "R—"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ron demanded, tossing the parchment at her.

"Tell you what?" she asked in shock.

"You lied to me, Hermione! You _lied_ to me!" he barked, gesturing madly at the parchment until a confused Hermione leaned over to pluck it up, smoothing it out in her lap and turning it around so that she could read it.

Her brown eyes then grew wide when she realized what it was; the soul mate results. Pairing her Ron with Hannah Abbott. Hermione hadn't immediately thought of her own secret when Ron started making accusations, but it all made perfect sense now. It felt like she had swallowed a large block of ice and it dropped down into her stomach, a trail of painful cold all through her chest and her head. Hermione shivered and shakily set aside the parchment. "I didn't know how to tell you," Hermione admitted quietly, clasping her hands together in her lap.

"How hard is it, Hermione?" Ron demanded, pacing the floor and running his fingers through his hair.

"How hard is it?" shrieked Hermione incredulously. "What would you have done, Ronald? Would it have been easy for you to tell me _Hannah_ was your soul mate if you didn't know that I already knew we weren't?"

"It doesn't matter!" Ron shouted. "You still should have told me! Not only did you not tell me but you lied to me about it! Right to my face, you lied to me! What were you going to do, Hermione? I would have found out sooner or later!"

"I was just waiting until…until I _could_ tell you!" Hermione exclaimed tearfully, not sure if she wanted to punch him or beg for his forgiveness. "I didn't know how and I was scared to, okay? I would have told you eventually."

"Yeah, I'm sure you would have," Ron spat.

"Ron, stop it! Do not talk to her that way," came a voice from the doorway. Hermione looked up gratefully at Bill who was standing in the doorway. He had his arms folded over his chest and was giving his younger brother a hard look.

"You don't even know what she did!" Ron exclaimed defensively.

"I don't care what she did, you should not talk to a girl that way. Especially the girlfriend you love," Bill said calmly.

"She's not my girlfriend anymore," Ron said moodily.

Hermione's eyes grew wide. "R…Ron? You…you don't mean that," she whispered, voice quiet and pleading. How had everything fallen apart so miserably so fast? Ron couldn't seriously be breaking up with her! She knew she had done wrong by hiding this from him but was it really worth throwing away their two year relationship? Didn't he love her? Surely, they could work through this.

"Let's see," Ron said sarcastically, "you lied to me and hid things from me and…What's the use, Hermione? We're not even _soul mates_."

"Ron, stop it," Bill said.

"What does it matter?" Hermione demanded, voice cracking and tears sliding down her cheeks. She could feel her heart breaking in her chest. Her whole body ached in the pain of it and she felt some wild desperation to stop it and mend things. "Ron…Ron! Look…s…soul mates…Didn't you listen? It doesn't mean we can't love each other and be together! You don't have to run off and marry Hannah just like I don't, and won't!, have to run off and marry Malfoy! I love you, Ron, and having different soul mates doesn't have to change that!"

"Yeah, well, to me it does," Ron snapped. He shook his head and grumbled und her his breath for a moment before stopping and staring at her. "Wait…Did you say Malfoy?"

Hermione sighed. "Yes…Draco Malfoy."

Ron laughed bitterly. "Just great. Well you go on and enjoy Malfoy and his money and his—"

"I don't care about money and I bloody well don't care about Malfoy!" Hermione exclaimed heatedly. It was hard to keep her anger from rising as Ron could be such an arse sometimes! "I care about you, Ron! I love you!"

That seemed to do _something_. Ron stared at her and swallowed hard. Hermione relaxed a bit and hoped that he had changed his mind. She still wanted to slap him silly for putting her through this and for saying all that he had but, right now, all she was concerned about was making sure Ron didn't ruin everything. She had been so horrified when she learned that Draco Malfoy was her soul mate, and heartbroken. For a while, she felt lost and, even for a moment, questioned her relationship with Ronald. But Hermione read through the book on bonds and did all of her research on soul mates. Being Draco Malfoy's soul mate didn't mean they were meant to be together, at least not romantically. They didn't have to get married and Hermione could easily live happily ever after with Ron. Hermione didn't even have to have Malfoy in her life at all, if she didn't want him there, and even if she _did,_ it wouldn't have to mean anything. Hermione still wasn't very comfortable with the idea, which was why she had hidden it from Ron for so long. She had to work out what to say and had to yet to completely convince herself of everything. She needed more time, more time to figure out how to do this right.

"I can't do this," Ron finally said quietly. "It's over, Hermione."

Ron turned and walked out of the room, pushing past Bill. Hermione stared after him, feeling as though he was dragging her heart out with him. That was it? Hermione stood frozen. Everything felt so still. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. She was vaguely aware of Fleur coming to get Bill and of Bill saying her name. She swallowed and slowly sank down onto the bed, heart racing as her mind and emotions struggled to make sense of what had just happened. Bill and Fleur whispered to one another, a quick explanation of what had taken place, and, the next thing Hermione knew, the bed was dipping on either side of her as Bill and Fleur took their places around her.

"Hermione? Hermione, it will be okay," Bill said quietly. "You want me to go get Ginny? W—Mum, not now…Can you go get Ginny?"

"Boys can be so _stupide_," Fleur assured her, resting a comforting hand on her arm. "'Ee will come around, you will see!"

It all hit very suddenly. Ron ended things. He was done with her. He was an utter prat about it, but that didn't make it any easier to hate him. It just hit…This gut-wrenching agony that twisted her heart and pulled at her stomach until she felt sick. Her throat burned and her eyes were hot and wet with tears that began pouring down her face as she began crying, immediately pulled into the arms of Fleur Delacour while Bill Weasley gently patted her on the back.

* * *

><p><em>The soul counterpart of Ginevra Molly Weasley is one Blaise Isaiah Zabini.<em>

Ginny kept sneaking peeks at the parchment she had folded up neatly on the table. She was trying not to overreact to it. Everyone was going crazy over their results and Ginny kept that in mind while she mulled it over in her head. Loads of people were getting paired off strangely. Hermione had gotten Draco Malfoy and Harry had gotten Snape! She was hardly the first person to get stuck with someone unappealing as a soul mate. And even though _some_ lucky few were paired with their significant others, that didn't mean anything had to happen. Ginny kept telling herself that and was probably why she wasn't acting as dramatically as Ron was. But, still…_Zabini_? He wasn't the biggest arse in Slytherin, but still…

"Ginny! Ginny, we need you upstairs," Molly said, walking into the kitchen looking upset.

"What is it, Mum?" Ginny asked, folding the parchment back up and putting it into her pocket.

"Hermione…She seems very upset about something. Your brother won't tell me what happened," Molly said, ushering Ginny out of the room.

Ginny frowned and sighed. "Oh no," she said and hurried upstairs. "Ronald must have done something, that prat."

"Do not call your brother a prat," Molly said. "What did he do?"

"I don't know but it was probably bad, knowing his temper," grumbled Ginny. "He and Hermione aren't soul mates."

"Oh no," Molly gasped. "Really? That's awful…"

"Yeah, yeah," Ginny mumbled, walking into her bedroom. Her heart ached at the sight of one of her best friends crying on the shoulder of her future sister in law while her oldest brother tried to offer comfort, as well. "Mione…Mione, I'm here," Ginny said quietly, moving over to take Bill's place as he scooted to the side to make room for her. Hermione pulled herself away from Fleur then threw her arms around Ginny, sobbing heartbreakingly into her shoulder while Fleur moved closer and took Bill's place in rubbing her back.

"I'm going to go have a talk with my little brother," Bill sighed, leaving the room. Molly frowned and walked to the bed, sitting beside Ginny and reaching over to pat Hermione on the leg.

"H-he b-broke up with…th…m-me!" Hermione cried, starting to sniffle and cough as she struggled to regain composure.

"Let eet all out, _cheri_. 'Ee iz an _imbécile_," Fleur cooed reassuringly. Molly glared at her for the insult to her son but Fleur shot a hard look back to her. Ginny gave her mother a look to tell her to just let it happen. Ron _was_ being an utter prat for doing this to Hermione. He'd calm down soon though and it would all be okay. Ginny would make sure of that. Ron and Hermione loved each other and, even though the situation was difficult, it didn't necessarily mean it really was the end. In the meantime, Ron was being a moron and it was just the sort of thing Hermione needed to hear. "One day, ee will come around and ee will see just what 'ee iz missing. Eet iz not good to waste tears over this _stupide garcon_."

"She's right, Hermione," Ginny said, pleased with Fleur's methods. She could tell off Ron good right about now, probably better than Bill was. Bill was probably doing it nicely and Ginny could slap her brother right about now. "He's just being dumb! You know Ron. He doesn't think before he does anything. Once he calms down, it will all be okay. This doesn't mean it's over for good."

"Ron loves you, Hermione," Molly added with a sad smile. "I'll have a good talk with that boy and we'll get some sense into him."

"I'm fine," Hermione said weakly, sniffing and wiping her tears away. There was some sad hopefulness in her brown eyes that made Ginny frown then pat Hermione's arm as her friend pulled away. "Sorry about that," she said, voice cracking and she cleared her throat and rubbed her eyes.

"If you need to cry…or to talk…that's fine, Hermione," Ginny said soothingly, rubbing her friend's back. "I'm here for you."

"We all are, dear," Molly said kindly. "We're your family."

At that, Hermione smiled, though her eyes filled with tears all over again and her shoulders shook like she might burst into tears once more. Hermione took a deep breath, though, and straightened up to compose herself. "Ahem. Don't we have a wedding to be planning?"

Ginny wanted to talk her out of it, to not let Hermione distract herself with mundane chores about the house in preparation for the upcoming wedding, but Molly and Fleur jumped at the chance, eager to keep Hermione in her seemingly better, and stronger, mood. Ginny sighed and stood up to follow them out of the room. Hopefully, Ron would stay out of the way until he was ready to mend things with Hermione.


	9. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

* * *

><p>"We're going to have so much fun, Hermione! And I promise not to turn your hair or skin or eyes or anything else any weird colors! I won't pull <em>any<em> pranks on you. Mum threatened to ground me until I graduate Hogwarts if I did!"

Hermione laughed quietly as she plopped down on the bed, transfigured from a spare loveseat the Potters had had in their attic, in Grace's room, dropping her purse beside her. It was Saturday morning and, while Hermione didn't feel completely safe rooming with Grace Potter, it was better than her alternative. Staying at the Burrow the past few days after the breakup with Ron had been rough. He barely spoke to her. While everyone was very friendly and comforting and kept her busy, it was still hard knowing he was around, especially as badly as she was wanting to talk to him. Helping Fleur with her wedding plans or even helping Ginny with a summer Potions assignment was hardly helping matters. When Luna visited Ginny yesterday and announced hearing that Ron was meeting up with Hannah in Diagon Alley that weekend, Hermione knew she had to get out of there. She was tempted to go home to her parents, but Harry, who had been visiting at the time, offered her a place at their house, so Hermione wouldn't miss much of the goings on if she was staying in the Muggle world.

Grace continued babbling incessantly for a few minutes and Hermione hardly had it in her to pay much attention. Honestly, she just wanted to be left alone for now and she even considered asking Grace if she had any summer work to do and offering to finish her assignments for her or even to help teach her things she was having problems with, though Hermione figured the former option would be more appealing to the young girl. She could always reread her seventh year texts for the third, fourth or fifth time, depending on which subject it was. Maybe she could even go see if Harry was doing any more work on trying to help figure out the Horcruxes or anything.

"Ooh! And I heard Draco Malfoy is your soul mate!" Grace said giddily. "He's such a prat but he's a good looking prat."

"He's what?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Good looking," Grace repeated unashamed. "Most of the Slytherins are, you know. Good looking but very horrible. I'm sure you can turn him right, though, Mione. At least you won't take any shite from him."

Hermione blinked. "Draco Malfoy."

"That's right," Grace said. "He is your soul mate, isn't he?"

Hermione cleared her throat, feeling uncomfortable. "Yes."

"Don't you think he's good looking?" Grace asked, plopping down on her own bed and pulling on her boots.

"Not particularly," Hermione said, wrinkling her nose. She had never even tried thinking of Malfoy that way! He was a complete arse and nothing about someone like him could be attractive to anyone. It didn't seem to matter much to Grace.

"It could be worse, you know," Grace said. "You could be stuck with Snape for the rest of your life."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry doesn't have to be either if he doesn't choose to."

"Yeah, but it'd be dumb not to, right?" Grace said. "Though, the way everyone talks about it, I don't see the big appeal. I mean, the bond doesn't do much, does it? At least not enough to really be worth it. The whole thing seems silly! Like 'oh you can be soul mates but you aren't really meant to be together, that's up to you, we're just saying that because you look like a cute couple', am I right? Then the bond! 'Oh, here you are, you get a _small_ boost in power but not much, you know…can't go overboard with these things!' Isn't that funny? What's the point in a bond if it isn't going to do much? Loads of the other bonds in that book do so much more! Like…There's a bond where you have to have sex with the other person, you know, but when you _do_ it…Well, I don't remember what it does but it makes you very strong or something. _That's_ what this Soul Bond business should do. Not this silly little stuff that hardly makes a difference. I'm sure whoever invented it was probably scared of making something too powerful, though, or the Ministry got scared of anyone getting too strong or something like that. Don't you think?"

"Err…Probably," Hermione said, listening to Grace babble. She did have a point about all of the other bonds in that book being so much more powerful. One would assume that something that connected the souls of two people would do so much more than the book said. But not much was known about it so, maybe, it was stronger than the book led them to believe. There was only one way to find out and, while Hermione was eager to see what the Soul Bond was like, she didn't want to think of contacting Malfoy about this or even considering Bonding herself to Malfoy right now.

"Oh, and don't tell mum I was reading that book, please," Grace went on. "She told me not to read it but I was curious! Especially since Harry's so dead set on going through with the bond to Snape. Mum and Dad are going to have a fit when he finally does it. He turns seventeen soon, though, so I don't know why they don't think he'll do it the first chance he gets."

"They're probably thinking the time until his birthday will give him time to calm down and think it over and come to another conclusion," Hermione offered quietly.

"Don't they know how stubborn he is? He still hasn't given up on this Horcrux business even though it's hopeless and he has hardly done any good at all with it," Grace muttered, shaking her head.

"Where _is_ Harry anyway?" Hermione asked, reminded of her idea to talk to Harry about the Horcruxes. She knew that kind of research was a headache in the making but it was better than letting her mind wander to other things right about now. It hurt too much to be properly mad at Ronald at the moment and, while she tried not to sulk around much, it was hard to feel and act her usual self. Ron had been such an important part of her life for so long and they had been dating for two years and she loved him so much. To think that this was the end of everything was hard to take.

"I dunno," Grace said. "I think he had to run an errand or he was going to visit Ron or something. I wasn't paying much attention, really, but he'll be back later."

"Right," Hermione said, sounding disappointed.

Grace turned her hazel eyes to Hermione and frowned. She could tell that Hermione was in a rotten mood and, while her and Hermione weren't necessarily close, she was her brother's best friend so Grace did care about her. Grace glanced out of the window thoughtfully and tried to come up with a way to help Hermione. "You know…I was thinking…If, or when, Harry and Snape do bond, we should surprise them. You know, set it up to make it look like a wedding. Maybe even get mum's wedding gown and try to see if we can get Harry into it. The whole thing, yeah? They'll be so mad but it'll be bloody hilarious."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. "They would kill us."

* * *

><p>The bond that Grace and Hermione were busily discussing was the very thing Harry aimed to talk about today. His parents were both working today but they, at times, got home early on weekends so Harry figured that doing this in the morning was his best bet. He thought about flying to Snape's house but didn't want to risk getting his Firebolt near Snape and, honestly, the walking would help him clear his head some. It was still very confusing to him how he had ended up in this situation. Snape? He just wanted to laugh or scream sometimes. How could someone like <em>Snape<em> be his _soul mate_? It was hard to deny but the strangeness of it just hit at the oddest times. And now he was seriously considering_bonding_ himself to the man? It would do them both some good, supposedly, but still…

It was _Snape_!

Harry sighed and narrowed his eyes at the house that belonged to his potions master as he approached it. It was small…old…looked half destroyed…gloomy…The house seemed to fit its owner perfectly. He would keep that to himself, though. If Snape would play nice then so would Harry. The biggest thing he was worried about was the sudden anxiety that hit him the moment the house came into view. This wouldn't be so bad…it couldn't be so bad. They were just going to have a rational, civil discussion. Harry ruffled his hair nervously and shifted on his feet as he knocked on the door.

He only waited a few seconds before the door opened and Snape stood stiffly in front of him. "Potter," the man said, eying him.

"Sn…Professor," Harry said, opting to show respect and be polite. He didn't need Snape thinking he had any reason to be an arse about things.

"Come in," Snape said, stepping aside and holding open the door. Harry warily glanced inside of the small house before reluctantly stepping in. He had been here only once or twice in his youth, before he started attending Hogwarts, when his mother wanted to visit Snape and there was no one else who could watch Harry or Grace. They never really stayed long and Lily always explained that Snape just wasn't comfortable around children. They then grew up to learn the truth; that he despised children. But they weren't very fond of him, either.

Right now, it was just weird standing in his professor's house. Harry glanced around curiously. The place was very clean and orderly. It might not have even looked lived in but for an open book resting on the arm of the couch and a half full glass of wine on the side table. Otherwise, there weren't many personal details, such as pictures or knick-knacks, at least not from where Harry was standing. Harry jumped when Snape cleared his throat behind him then he watched as the man moved to sit down on his couch at the place where the book and the wine were. "You may have a seat, Potter."

"Right," Harry said. He cleared his throat and walked into the living room to sit in the chair nearest to where Snape was sitting. "Err…thanks."

Snape only nodded, watched him, and Harry looked around the room, feeling nervous to have those black eyes studying him so and almost wanted to snap at the man to stop it. He rubbed his hands nervously over his jeans and, only when Snape cleared his throat impatiently, did Harry remember he had come here for a reason. He turned towards Snape a bit and struggled to think of where to start. He had known he would be coming here for a few days but he had never really thought about, or planned out, what he would say, only knowing that they needed to figure something out concerning this Bonding.

"So…erm…Do…Do you know much about this…thing?" Harry asked.

"This thing?" Snape repeated, quirking an eyebrow.

Harry felt heat rise to his face but he didn't look away and tried not to act embarrassed despite how stupid Snape made him feel. "Yeah…the bond? I don't really have a lot of people to talk to about it. My parents don't want me to do it and Sirius and Remus don't want it either. Dumbledore's always busy," Harry explained. And Hermione, who probably knew just as much, if not more, than everyone else was too upset over her breakup with Ron to talk about anything concerning soul mates or Soul Bonds. "So I was…I was wondering what you know about…it."

"It," Snape repeated, sounding amused. Harry couldn't help but glare and was close to snapping at him for being such a prick about the whole thing. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Snape spoke before he had the chance. "I believe I know about as much about the subject as anyone can at the moment. But there's not much information given. The only ones who might have any better understanding are the very people you do not wish to speak with about it. Your parents and do—_godparents_ are the only ones at the current time to have this bond. This is all a matter of learning as we go along."

"Okay," Harry said slowly. His mother had made a big deal about not wanting him to bond since they didn't know much about it yet. But being reminded of that fact was a little worrisome. However, if everyone else was bonding without much concern over their own wellbeing, Harry figured that nothing too bad could happen because of it. "So what do you know?"

"No one went over any of this with you?" Snape asked.

"Not entirely," Harry replied. "Mum and Dad don't want me knowing anything about it, remember?"

"Of course," Snape said with a sneer though he looked like he wanted to say something else entirely. Harry didn't care about that. He only hoped to get information out of the man_without_ being referred to as an idiot. "The words spoken in the ceremony will call for a binding of the mind, body, heart, soul, and magic—every important element of a person. No, that does not mean we have to have sex nor will it make us develop…_feelings_ for one another," he said distastefully. Harry wrinkled his nose at the very thought, though he did admit to feeling some alarm by Snape's words before that…binding so much of himself to the man. "What this means…Or rather, what we believe this means is that the connection will allow the partners to interact better. They will work together well on most levels. They will understand their partner, their needs, strengths and weaknesses a lot better. Essentially, we will be able to read each other a lot better. We will also, in some manners, be able to make each other stronger. How that necessarily works, we are not entirely certain at the moment."

"Those bound will also have the greater ability at casting spells upon their partner, especially in regards to things such as Legilimency. As inept as you were in Occlumency, you would likely stand no chances of pushing me out of your mind once we are bound," Snape explained and Harry frowned. _That_ was just great. He especially did not like the reminder of his failed Occlumency lessons. He could only hope that Snape would not find it all too appealing to get inside of his head ever again. "If a bound pair were to ever duel they could very easily do severe damage to one another, though how such an action would affect the bond is uncertain. I don't believe there were any accounts of soul mates who despised each other or were angered enough to attempt any such thing. They probably found their enhanced abilities due to the bond incentive enough to not risk all they had gained for petty revenge."

"Right," Harry said. _That_ didn't sound very good. Somehow, Harry couldn't imagine the bond being so effective that it would make people not want to kill each other. He could only wonder who would end up killing who first in various situations. Harry was only lucky that Snape was so close to Lily and he would never actually attempt to kill him, or so he hoped. He wasn't the only unfortunate one to be stuck with an "enemy", though. Poor Hermione and Ginny were stuck with Malfoy and Zabini. "Erm…Is there anything special we have to do for the…ceremony thing?"

Snape snorted. "You were in attendance to two bindings recently, weren't you?"

"Well, yeah," Harry said, face heating up and eyes narrowing at the man. "I just…Well, I know how it goes, but I wasn't sure if there was anything special they had to, and we'll have to do for it?"

"Just show up, Potter," Snape said dryly.

"Right," Harry said. "So…We'll do this, then?"

Snape just stared at him for a moment and Harry shifted uncomfortably where he sat. He did not like being stared at in that way, and by Snape, of all people. What was he even looking for? The man seemed to be studying him, as if he were a potion or something, and he was tracing his lips slowly. Harry huffed and was about to say something to break the silence when Snape finally nodded his consent. "You turn seventeen in a week, do you not?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Err…I'd rather not do it that day, though, I'm pretty sure everyone has the whole day planned for me right now," he said with a laugh. Between his parents, godparents, the Weaselys, and friends he was going to have a jam-packed day of fun. Hopefully. "And err…Bill and Fleur are getting married the next day…so…maybe after the wedding? That night or the next day?"

"The sooner the better," Snape said with a nod. "The night of August the first would be acceptable."

"Okay. And where should we do it?" Harry asked.

"I assume you do not intend to tell your parents beforehand?" Snape asked.

"Yeah," Harry admitted. He might have worried about the man's friendship with his mum being a factor but since Lily didn't approve, Harry assumed Snape wouldn't go around telling her.

"Of course," Snape said. "We can perform the ceremony here. I'll ask Professor Dumbledore to meet us once he is finished there."

"Great," Harry said and hesitated a moment before standing up. That was all he really needed. The bond itself didn't seem completely horrible and he had made the decision to go through with this the day he found out that Snape was his soul mate. Now that they had it all figured out, he felt a little better about things, albeit a bit nervous. It wasn't going to be too bad, he assured himself. They would bond and see what benefits they would get from it, otherwise wouldn't have to do too much. At least not from the way everything sounded to him so far. "Erm. I'll see you then, I guess."

"August the first, Potter. And do show some respect and send word if you change your mind," Snape said as Harry headed to the door.

"I won't chicken out," Harry promised irritably as he walked out, making sure to slam the door, hard, behind him.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you're doing this, Ron," Ginny said for the zillionth time today. At least it felt that way to Ron.<p>

"Why wouldn't I be doing this?" Ron demanded grumpily. "She's my soul mate and we should talk about things."

Ginny scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, that's it," Ron said, glaring at her.

"Are you sure?" Ginny demanded. "Because you dumped Hermione because she wasn't your soul mate—"

"_Because she lied to me_," Ron corrected, though Ginny was right, that _was_ part of it.

"—so that would lead one to believe that you would go after Hannah because she is," Ginny finished. "But that doesn't mean you're meant to be together, Ron! And to do this so soon after breaking up with Hermione, _like a complete prick_!"

"What does it even matter, Gin?" Ron snapped. "This isn't a date."

"Don't pull that on me, Ronald," Ginny snapped. "We both know that's exactly what you want and expect. She's gone, Ron, and you don't even care!"

Ron muttered unintelligibly under his breath and straightened his shirt. It was the nicest he owned, which wasn't saying much, but it was his best and Ginny seemed to notice that. That was the first thing she pointed out when he walked out of his room and it had become this. He headed towards the fireplace and rolled his eyes when he noticed Ginny following him. "I'm going to be late. And don't' you have a bridesmaid dress to try on? A _soul mate_ to get to know?" Ron demanded.

"You're not going to be happy without her, Ron," Ginny warned, placing her hands on her hips as Ron grabbed some Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. "You love her and it's a really shitty move to just give i—"

"Abbott house!" he said loudly and threw down the powder, cutting Ginny off and glad to be away from her nagging. She could be just as bad as their mum sometimes, he swore. Only this was worse because she was defending his ex girlfriend. She was his sister! Wasn't she supposed to be on his side?

A few seconds later, he stepped out into the Abbott's living room, smiling nervously when he saw Dumbledore sitting in a chair, finishing up explanations to Hannah Abbott and her father, Tim Abbott. Her mother Marilyn had been killed by Death Eaters at the end of last year. Hannah and Tim turned to look up at Ron, both looking a bit dazed as Dumbledore finished talking about the Soul Bond. When he was finished, he turned to smile at Ron. "And here he is. Come in, Mr. Weasley."

"Err…Hi," Ron said, stepping in a bit further and moving to sit in an empty chair when Hannah hesitantly motioned for him to sit.

"We can always perform the soul mate test, if you would feel more comfortable with some proof," Dumbledore offered kindly.

"N…No, I trust you," Tim said. "Unless…Hannah?"

"Uh…N…Y…you're right, that's fine. I'm just…surprised," Hannah said, glancing uncertainly at Ron. "So we…have to bond?"

"No, of course not," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "That's entirely up to you."

Hannah shot Ron a questioning look. He sat up a bit more as the eyes of the other two followed her gaze and he smiled weakly as he sat up a bit straighter. "Erm…Ahem…Well…I dunno…I'd like to see what all of the fuss is about but it seems…kind of big. So…maybe we could…get to know each other better? Before we make any decisions?" he offered uncomfortably.

"That sounds like a wise plan, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said.

"I thought you were dating Hermione Granger," Hannah said doubtfully, biting her lip.

"Err…Well, not anymore. We, uh, broke up a few days ago…and…I didn't mean it as a date, unless…you know…you think it should be," Ron said, feeling his face heating up horribly and finding it hard to look Hannah or Tim in the face.

Hannah blushed and giggled quietly. "Well, I guess we'll just see how it goes, Ron," she said flirtatiously.

Tim sighed, apparently not liking seeing his daughter this way. "You better treat my Hannah right, Weasley," Tim said.

"Daddy," laughed Hannah, shaking her head. "Nothing's even happened yet."

"I can assure you, Mr. Abbott, that Mr. Weasley is a complete gentleman," Dumbledore promised. "They _are_ soul mates. I'm certain that we can trust fate to take care of them both."

"Yeah, well, I guess that's true," Tim said, scratching the side of his head.

"So, do you want to take a walk with me, Ron?" Hannah asked with a smile.

"Errr," Ron said. The Abbotts lived in Godric's Hollow, which was where the Potters lived, which was where Hermione was staying. _What the hell_, Ron thought to himself. He was done with Hermione and he was sure they'd be fine so long as they steered clear of the Potter residence. It wasn't like he had the money to suggest they actually go out and do something. "Sure. And maybe you'd like to come over to the Burrow for dinner? My mum's a great cook."

"That would be nice," Hannah replied, beaming. "Will you be alright on your own, Daddy?"

"Of course, sweetie," Tim said. "You two go have fun, get to know each other and…whatnot."

"Okay," Hannah said with a smile. "C'mon, Ron, I'll show you around!"

"Right," Ron said, smiling nervously and standing up. This wasn't so bad. Better than being stuck with Snape or Malfoy or Zabini or, Merlin forbid, any of the others. Parkinson, Bulstrode, Goyle, Crabbe…Hannah was nice and she was sort of pretty. She certainly didn't seem to find the idea of being his soul mate completely repulsive. Maybe this could work out, after all.


	10. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

* * *

><p>Sirius Black noticed the instant Remus Lupin entered the Potters' backyard but wasn't sure if it was because of the bond or that he just so happened to look up at the right time. He was bothered almost immediately by what he saw and was too distracted by it to put much thought into anything else. Remus hadn't come to Harry's birthday party alone, instead having come with that clumsy Auror witch, Nymphadora Tonks. There wasn't anything wrong with Tonks, not really. She was a nice enough witch and Sirius's cousin, probably one of very few family members Sirius actually approved of. No, she wasn't very pretty, though, and, despite the young witch's huge crush on Remus, Sirius had a hard time buying them as a couple.<p>

"When did that happen?" Sirius asked Lily as she carried another armful of gifts to the table Sirius had been setting his down on.

"When did what happen?" Lily asked, looking up to follow the line of Sirius's sight then smiled. "Oh, Remus and Tonks? I dunno really. Couldn't get much out of him when he asked if he could bring her along. I know they've hung out before but I'm not sure when it became _dating_. If that's what it even is. He better not be playing with her, though, or I will hex him right between his eyes! He should know by now how Tonks feels about him."

"Right," Sirius said, forcing himself to tear his eyes away from the pair. He found himself meeting a very knowing smirk on Lily Potter's face.

"Not jealous are you?" Lily teased.

"Jealous?" Sirius demanded and snorted. "Not bloody likely. Just curious is all."

"Hmm," was all Lily said.

Sirius wanted to make a retort, not liking at all the fact that she didn't seem to believe him, but Remus and Tonks had walked up at that moment. Tonks was bouncing excitedly where she stood and almost immediately fell over onto the picnic table full of gifts, only to be steadied by Remus reaching out to hold onto her. Sirius eyed where Remus was grasping Tonks's arm to hold her still and trying to ignore how hard Lily was trying not to laugh.

"I'm fine, not to worry. Happens all the time," Tonks admitted with a laugh. She blushed a bit and smiled adoringly up at Remus. Sirius felt sick to his stomach and was hit with the urge to start pretending to gag so as to pick on them. Though, perhaps, the thought wasn't as light-hearted and fun as it normally would have been.

"We all know that," Sirius managed to say without much venom in his voice. He forced himself to smile. "You've set my mother off more times than anyone else."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," Tonks laughed.

"Well, it's good to see you both. Thank you for coming," Lily said with a smile.

"Thank you for inviting us," Remus replied. "Where _is_ the birthday boy?" he asked, looking around while Tonks set her gift on the table then took the one from Remus's hands to add it with the others. The pile she added it on swayed dangerously so Lily immediately reached out to steady it then took the top gift and placed it somewhere safer. "You didn't forget to invite him to his own party, did you?"

"No," Lily laughed. "No, the kids got into a bit of trouble this morning. Grace put some of the Weasley's hair products in Harry's shampoo and turned his hair _purple_! And she's been teasing him for a while now about being Severus's soul mate and, since he's seventeen now, he thought it only fair to charm her body _blue_! So I sent them inside to sort each other out."

"First time they've pulled something like that that Lily _didn't_ yell at them both," James said with a grin, walking up to the group with a large decorative snitch hovering in front of him at wand point. "I think we're finally getting to her."

"Well, it's Harry's birthday and I didn't want to ruin the day," Lily defended with a sniff, straightening out the presents on the table some more as Tonks's elbow hit one of them and threatened to knock over another pile.

"You _laughed_ Lily!" James chuckled.

Lily fought a smile and, within seconds, was laughing again. "She looked like a redheaded Smurfette!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands over her mouth, tears filling her green eyes as laughter shook her body. "And she threatened to turn Harry into an Oompa Loompa when she comes of age!"

The group grinned in amusement and shock at Lily, who finally gasped then started to fan herself with her hand. James walked past Sirius and wrapped his arms around his wife. "All we need now is for you to join in on the fun and my life would be complete," he said proudly, kissing her hair. "It was quite a fun morning for the Potter family."

"What's a Smurfette? And an Oompa Loompa?" Sirius finally asked, bewildered.

"Muggle stuff," Lily explained, shaking her head. "The smurfs were a cartoon and oompa loompas are from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, a book turned into a movie. Smurfs are little blue people and oompa loompas are little orange people with green hair."

"_Nice_," Sirius chuckled. "I've never been so proud of the Mini-Marauders."

"Ah, now don't go encouraging bad behavior," Lily warned with a smile and a shake of her finger.

"Psh. It's a little late for that, don't you think?" Sirius chuckled.

"It's true, Lily," Remus said with a smile. "You provided a child with James as a father and Sirius as a godfather. I don't know what else you could have expected."

"Oh, don't start there, Remy," Lily giggled. "Grace is technically _your_ goddaughter and she's wilder than Harry is."

"Ha! See? I'm a better godfather than Remus is," Sirius said. "You're welcome, by the way, for Harry turning out so wonderfully."

"Yes, because _you_ raised him," Lily snorted sarcastically.

"Damn fine job I did, too," Sirius teased.

"Hey, I've done fine by Grace," Remus said. "It's not my fault James's genes did things to her I can't fix."

"And proud of it," James said proudly, puffing out his chest. "Ah, speak of the little devils…."

Everyone turned to watch as Harry and Grace entered the backyard. Grace was paler than usual and her skin still had a faint tinge of blue to it. The pretty dress that Lily had bought her for the party, a flowing blue number, only made the blue tint to her skin more noticeable and, in places, was sadly stained a murky gray color, probably from whatever potion she had used to help remove the color changing potion from Harry's hair. Her older brother walked beside her, his hair in its usual disarray even while wet and still seemed to have a few small purple streaks that stubbornly remained or that Grace had missed. His gray Puddlemere United T-shirt was stained with the same stuff Grace's dress was, though it was less noticeable because of the color of the shirt. For the most part, the siblings looked much better than they had before Lily had sent them inside to get cleaned up.

They seemed to be having a quiet argument that was silenced as the two stopped in the middle of the backyard when they noticed they were being watched by the group over by the picnic table under a crabapple tree. The adults continued to watch them as the two Potter children glanced at each other then uneasily turned back to their elders with confused expressions until Tonks giggled. That sound caused the other adults to start quiet laughter that erupted into much larger and louder fits of laughter that left Grace and Harry staring at them, stunned.

"Have you been drinking?" Grace asked loudly.

"That is not a question you should go around asking people," Lily said with a smile.

"I have a bad feeling they were talking about us," Harry said, eyeing the group warily.

"Well, we should be talking about you, Birthday Boy," Sirius said with a grin. "Everyone will be talking about you and watching you all day!"

"Just great," Harry sighed miserably to the amusement of the adults. James laughed and worked on magically getting the snitch into position, hovering it over the gifts.

"Not fond of attention, I bet?" Tonks said.

"Not really," Harry admitted with a nervous smile.

"Well, it's not like we're being hounded by reporters," Lily assured him. "It's just going to be friends and family, nothing to worry about."

"Sure about that?" Harry asked darkly, remembering a disastrous fifteenth birthday. It was the first time they had really celebrated at home and, for some reason, reporters decided to swarm around that day. Harry had a feeling it was because of renewed interest following the Triwizard Tournament, not only the fact that he had been illegally entered into the dangerous event but his win of the whole thing and subsequent allegations that Lord Voldemort had returned. It was the worst experience he ever had with the press and the reason he had asked to celebrate his birthday elsewhere last year, something the Weasleys had been more than accommodating with at the Burrow.

"I promise," Lily said. "Albus stopped by and helped put up some extra wards. They're only temporary but they should last us through today. He says it's a birthday gift and an apology for being unable to attend. It'll keep anyone who's not invited from coming onto the property at all."

Lily smiled at her son as he seemed to visibly relax and Sirius grinned sadly at his godson. It was very hard for him being who he was and it was only going to get that much worse now that he was an adult in their world. Everyone was determined to give him an enjoyable day and to be there for him to help him through the worst of it.

"Mr. and Mr. Lupin-Black, I require your help in finishing this set up," James said in a very proper tone with a teasing glimmer in his hazel eyes. Remus closed his eyes and groaned while Sirius turned to glare then punched James in the arm. James had been giving them hell about their status as soul mates since he found out, always referring to them as though they were married. Harry couldn't help but laugh and the others followed suit.

"As long as it remains understood that I'm the man in the relationship," Sirius said, grinning as he followed after James with a grumbling Remus not far behind as they went to help levitate tables for everyone to sit at together.

"So how is Hermione?" Lily asked as she walked around the table to straighten up the gifts on the other side.

"She's…fine, I think," Harry replied.

"She's just being girly and trying to look extra pretty for today," Grace explained. "Ginny's been talking between her and Ron so they both agreed to be civil. But Ron's bringing Hannah so I think Hermione's jealous and wants to make him like her again or something."

"Poor thing," Lily said sadly. "I do hope Ron won't try to rub it in her face or anything."

"I kept trying to tell her to invite Malfoy to rub him in Ron's face but she won't listen," Grace said, shaking her head.

Harry snorted. "I doubt Ron would be jealous. He'd just think Hermione had gone insane."

"Am I the only one who can admit he's fit?" Grace demanded with a scoff.

"Probably," Harry said.

"I don't tend to find boys my son's age to be attractive, Gracie," Lily teased. "Though his father was very fit when he was younger, in a snobby sort of way. Not one I would be interested in, but I could see that he was a fine specimen of the male species."

"Mum!" Grace squealed in shocked delight. "That's brilliant! Draco looks just like him, so, in a way, you're saying that he _is_ good looking!"

"Perhaps, 'in a way'," Lily relented with a smile. "Oh look, some of your friends are starting to arrive, Harry!"

Harry turned and grinned when he saw a big group of Weasleys walking around the side of the house to join them in the backyard. Arthur and Molly led the way with the latter turning her head to talk to Ginny, Fleur, and Penelope while she walked. Probably about wedding plans, as that's all Harry could remember the older witch talking about the past few weeks. Ron was walking hand in hand with Hannah Abbott to Harry's dismay. Not that there was anything wrong with her, Hannah was a very nice girl, but Harry worried about Hermione's reaction to their budding romance. Behind them, Fred and George wore familiar expressions of gleeful mischief, something Harry had a bad feeling about since it would involve Ron and Hannah. Percy looked to be boring his eldest brother to tears about something or other a few feet behind the group. Bringing up the rear was Charlie, who appeared to be having a very lively conversation with Hagrid.

Grace was giggling. "So, is your fiancé going to come, Harry?"

"My what?" Harry asked, turning to his sister in confusion.

"You know? My future brother in law? Your lover? Your soul mate? Professor Snape?" Grace said.

Harry glowered at her. "Shut up, Grace."

"Grace," Lily warned.

"Don't pick on him too much, Grace," Ginny said with a grin, jogging ahead to join them. She went to add her own gift to the pile but Lily took it from her with a smile to put it in place herself. Ginny then hugged Harry and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek. "You never know, you could end up with worse than Snape one day and Harry will have his revenge."

"I can do better than Harry can," Grace said with a sly grin. "I bet I get someone like Kingsley Shackelbolt."

"Ha!" laughed Tonks, who almost everyone had forgotten about. "Kings?"

"Gracie!" Lily exclaimed, wearing a stunned grin.

"What? He's more fit than Draco Malfoy I think," Grace said shamelessly with a shrug.

"You're thirteen!" Lily laughed.

"And? Snape is twenty years older than Harry," Grace pointed out.

"Harry also doesn't find Snape attractive," Ginny pointed out.

"_No one_ finds Snape attractive," Ron said as he joined them. Hannah stood by his side looking nervous and Ginny shot the other girl an annoyed look making Ron glare at his sister in response.

"I wouldn't say _no one_," Lily said, giving them a sharp look. "Severus has been with people before. Just because he is not conventionally handsome doesn't mean anything. And you would do well not to be so disrespectful about a teacher, _especially_ since he _is_ Harry's soul mate. You lot would do well to keep that in mind."

"Sorry, Mrs. Potter," Ron and Ginny mumbled, blushing.

"He's a hard man to get along with," Tonks said. "But he's not horrible, is he? Spies and whatnot for the Order, doesn't he? I wouldn't get too worked up, Lily. Didn't you ever dislike a professor?"

"Not to the point of badmouthing them every available opportunity," Lily replied irritably. She reached out to take the gifts from everyone to add them to the pile, smiling politely as the others approached. The bad atmosphere was forgotten as the other Weasleys joined in to hug Harry or shake his hand and wish him a happy birthday. Within a span of ten minutes, the rest of the guests arrived. Neville and Luna arrived a few minutes after the Weasleys, Cedric Diggory a few minutes after them then Viktor Krum not long after him. Viktor was in town for Bill and Fleur's wedding so Harry thought it would be nice to invite his fellow Triwizard Tournament champions to his birthday. He hoped Viktor would be enough to cheer Hermione up somewhat as well as, maybe, even distract her a bit from Ron and Hannah. There had been a small romance between them during fourth year, if Harry remembered correctly.

Shortly after Viktor's arrival, Hermione finally came out of the house, looking stunning. Harry couldn't remember seeing her look so pretty since the Yule Ball fourth year! Her hair was sleek and curly, all of the frizz and wildness tamed down for today. Her face held light touches of makeup and she was even wearing what appeared to be a new dress, probably something bought especially for today. Hermione didn't usually go around wearing dresses like that. It was a beautiful lavender color and it fit her body snugly. While she was modestly covered, it still brought attention to her slight curves.

Only Harry and Viktor seemed to notice her walking out and Viktor seemed in awe of her. That made Harry relax a bit. He glanced back to the conversation Ron, Ginny, Grace, and Hannah were involved in and quietly excused himself to walk over to his nervous friend.

"How do I look?" was the first quiet, nervous question from Hermione's mouth.

"Brilliant," Harry assured her. "Viktor seems to think so?"

Hermione's eyes had been on Ron and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she turned to Harry. "What? Vik-?" She paused and turned, eyes widening at the sight of the Bulgarian Seeker. "Viktor!" she exclaimed loudly

"Hermy-owny!" Viktor said, apparently still struggling with her name. He moved closer to her and Harry sighed when he saw Ron spin around and glare at Viktor as he took Hermione's hand and kissed the top of it. Hermione's eyes flickered up to her ex boyfriend for only a brief moment before turning back to Viktor beaming.

"I had no idea you were going to be here!" she said, following Harry as he walked back to his group of friends. Ron stood stiffly by Hannah and Ginny nudged him with a meaningful glare. Harry also made sure to send him a sharp look to remind him that he had promised to be on his best behavior.

"You look so beautiful, Hermione!" Ginny raved with a grin.

"You really do," Hannah added with an uncertain smile. "Very, very pretty."

"Oh, well, thank you," Hermione said in surprise. She looked Hannah over for a moment and seemed to relax when the girl didn't seem to be playing any sort of games with her. "Err…You look really nice, too."

"Girls," scoffed Grace.

"_You're_ a girl!" laughed Ginny.

"I don't think anyone can be too sure of that," Harry said with a grin, the tension of having Ron and Hermione so close to each other so soon after their breakup fading as he fell into the comforts and amusement of fun times with his friends.

* * *

><p>While the Potter family and friends went about celebrating Harry's birthday, Draco Malfoy was having a seemingly normal day at Malfoy Manor. At least what constituted as normal these days. He had been so worried since leaving school at the end of the previous term that he would be forced to take the Mark this summer but no mention had been made of it in a few weeks so he had relaxed a bit. It didn't stop him from worrying though. Draco was becoming used to finding things to distract himself and had been spending a great deal of time going on dates with various Slytherin girls. Well, he had even been doing a bit more than just <em>dating<em>. It was proving to be a useful technique for getting his mind off being Granger's soul mate.

Until today of course. He was in the middle of a perfectly normal day, having spent time visiting Theodore Nott earlier, and was just returning home to spend a few hours at home before getting ready for tonight's date with Astoria Greengrass. Just as he was heading up to his room, he heard his name being called from the living room. It was his father and Draco was a bit surprised that he was home in the middle of the day. Feeling a bit anxious, he walked into the living room where his parents were seated side by side on the couch. His father had a parchment held out in front of him, holding it enough to the side so that his wife could look over it, as well.

"Draco…Read this nonsense," Lucius said with a sneer, thrusting the parchment towards his son who stepped forward quickly to take it.

"What is it?" he asked warily, silver-gray eyes looking from irritated father to stunned mother.

"A letter," Lucius said sharply.

"Now, Lucius," Narcissa said, placing a calming hand on his arm.

"Read it," Lucius commanded.

Hesitantly, Draco let his eyes drop to the parchment now in his hands, moving to sit in a chair as he did so.

_Draco Malfoy,_

_This is Hermione Granger. I'm sure you must be surprised to be hearing from me because I'm certainly surprised to find myself writing this letter. However, under the circumstances, I believe some contact between us would not go remiss._

_Given your family's closeness to Professor Snape, I don't know if you've heard of his latest discover or not. He recently created a method of one finding their soul mate. Upon hearing this, and out of curiosity, I went along with it and, to my surprise, the name it came up with was yours. If you happen to have a copy of __Magical Bonds: Past, Present, and Future__ I suggest you look to chapter seven for I don't feel up to divulging so much knowledge in a simple letter. _

_I hold no romantic notions of 'soul mates' whatsoever but I do believe that doing something might prove beneficial to us both. Hopefully you will read the passage I've suggested or, at least, know of soul mates and Soul Bonding. If you would would please take this into consideration and wish to discuss it further, please let me know._

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione J. Granger_

She knew! Draco swallowed hard as he read the letter a second time, waiting for it to fully sink in then scoffed as he thought of her directing him to books. The third time he read over it, he remembered that his parents had seen it and felt his stomach drop then all of the blood rush out of his face. His eyes slowly flickered up to meet his father's glare and mother's concerned gaze.

Draco cleared his throat. "Well. That is…interesting."

"Interesting?" snorted Lucius. "It is ridiculous."

"So you've said," sighed Narcissa. "Many times."

Lucius eyed his wife. "Are you still upset over the whole soul mate nonsense?"

"It isn't nonsense, Lucius!" Narcissa snapped. "Not to me! And if you could consider for one _second_ that you could be wrong, this could be something very important to our son!"

"Why would it be important to Draco?" Lucius demanded.

"Do you know anything about Soul Bonds?" Narcissa asked.

"Not much. I have little faith in soul mates and don't know why I would need to study further into Soul Bonding," Lucius replied.

"It could be very useful to Draco," Narcissa explained. "It could make him stronger, more talented. Not to mention associating with the Granger girl could be useful. This could very well make him a more powerful wizard, Lucius. And, more importantly, it's something that can very well keep him from particular paths that we would not choose for him."

Narcissa shot her husband a meaningful look and the harsh expression from Lucius's face faded away. The man was left looking pale and years older. Though they never came out and said it, Lucius and Narcissa obviously didn't want their son involved with the Death Eaters but, due to Lucius's status among them, there seemed to be little choice. Draco would have to join or he, and maybe even his parents, would die because of it. There was no rebelling against the Dark Lord, not if they valued their life. Severus was brave to gamble the way he did, playing the role of double agent. The Malfoys were aware of their friend's true loyalty and, while they no longer had any regard for the Dark Lord, found they weren't so brave or willing to lose their lives because of it.

"What a silly way to think, Narcissa," Lucius said quietly. "You know there is no way—"

"There could be a way," Narcissa replied. "If he did bond with the girl, they could be useful to one another, magically. Her ties to the Or—You know what could be very advantageous. The good the bond would do him would not only be useful on its own but the good it will do for Miss Granger could very well make her care enough for Draco's life and loyalties to take care of him."

"You aren't seriously saying I should bond with the mudblood?" Draco demanded in shock.

"That is exactly what I am saying, Draco," Narcissa said. "And don't call her a mudblood, certainly not if we're going to do this." She then turned her blue eyes onto her husband. "Lucius, it would not hurt to try, would it? Even if you have no faith in souls at all, at least know that _they_ believe in it and having that connection alone could be helpful."

Lucius stared at his wife for a long time and Draco used the lull to look from one parent to the other. Were they seriously suggesting he meet up with and maybe even bond himself to Mudblood Granger? His pureblood parents were willing to forget their beliefs in blood purity for…for what? His life? The thought of being tied to Granger was repulsive enough that he didn't immediately let everything his mother had pointed out sink in and once it had…

"Do you really think that would work, mother?" Draco asked quietly, causing both Lucius and Narcissa to look up at him. "Do you think I could avoid having to…having to join _him_?"

"Yes, I do," Narcissa replied earnestly. "Please consider it, both of you."

"It…It wouldn't hurt to…to just meet with her," Draco finally said, eyes dropping back down to the parchment. "To discuss things."

"No…No, it wouldn't hurt at all," Narcissa said, smiling encouragingly.

Lucius slowly nodded. "Yes…Write her back. She'll have to do with meeting with all of us. Tomorrow afternoon, perhaps?"

"Yes, we should be there…to be sure of things," Narcissa agreed. The witch looked so relieved that her men were slowly accepting things. Draco relaxed a bit as his mother was appeased and glared at the letter. He may not be fond of Granger at all but if it was the choice between putting up with a know-it-all mudblood and taking the Mark, Draco would take Granger any day.

* * *

><p>"You did <em>what<em>?" Ginny Weasley whispered loudly.

"Shhh," Hermione hissed, looking around. They were all sitting at the table, stuffed from a lovely meal and a delicious cake cooked by Mrs. Potter. Everyone was in the middle of passing Harry his presents and watching him open them all. Since Viktor was distracted by a conversation with Cedric and Charlie over Harry's new broom, Hermione had taken her chance to pull Ginny aside to talk about what she had done that morning. "I wrote the letter when Harry told me that Ron was bringing Hannah and…I dunno. I looked out of the window and saw them together then decided to just…send it."

"Wow," Ginny said. "What do you think he'll do?"

"Burn the letter," Hermione replied dryly. "If he replies at all it would be nothing but insults. I don't know _what_ I was thinking!"

"I don't know either," Ginny said uselessly. "Too bad Viktor isn't your soul mate, huh?" she asked with a grin, checking out the attractive Quidditch player.

Too bad Ron wasn't, Hermione wanted to say but she kept that to herself. "Yeah. That would be preferable. I could do something with _that_."

Ginny nodded and turned back to her friend. "What if, by some chance, he _does _agree to meet with you?"

"I hadn't even thought that far ahead yet," Hermione confessed with a sigh.

"If he agrees to meet with you," Grace said, bringing their attention to the fact that the younger witch wasn't too far away from them and certainly not far away enough to have not overheard their conversation, "you should snog him then tell me how he is."

"I doubt he'd want to snog me," Hermione snorted, rolling her eyes.

"I doubt Hermione wants to snog him either," Ginny pointed out.

"That, too," Hermione laughed.

"I don't see why not," Grace said. "Just like I don't see why Remus brought Tonks here." Grace glared at where the two sat. They weren't snogging or hanging all over each other, nothing like that, but they were too close and friendly for her liking.

"Why not? Tonks is nice," Ginny said.

"Yeah, she is. But Remus belongs with Sirius! I don't know _what_ he thinks he's doing!" Grace said.

Ginny laughed. "Grace, Remus and Sirius aren't together."

"Not _yet_. But they should be," Grace said confidently.

Hermione and Ginny shared a look then shook their heads. They wouldn't bother trying to argue with Grace. Nothing they said would talk her out of her delusions.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I'm back! Sorry for the long wait, but I finally got a beta for this story and asked her to go over any previous chapters before working on new ones so the whole story will be nice and neat instead of just newer chapters! Now as long as I can keep everything up right, it shouldn't be too much of a problem anymore! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter…It's not much, mainly just a transition for the next chapter. I still enjoyed writing it, though, and I thought it was fun so hopefully you thought so, too, even if not much happened.

Big thanks to my wonderful reviewers: FiresBurningTouch, Anniriel, Lady DestinyHope, Mimi, AlmondWithUnicornHair, AstrophobicChick, FroggerJane, xXxElectraxXx, Belladonna1185, monkeygirl66, and Deatheaters-Anonymous!

Also a big humungo thanks to my wonderful, amazinful beta Danyealle for getting this chapter back to me so fast and working so hard to help make my story better even though she has so much other stuff going on!

And thank you to all of my faithful readers still tuning in and everyone adding Resistance to your favorites or story alerts! I hope everyone takes the time to review! I would love to hear from everyone!


	11. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

"What are _you_ glowering at?"

Sirius blinked rapidly in surprise and looked up at Lily who was now standing beside him. Sirius couldn't even really remember what he had been doing as he was too lost in thought to pay too much attention. He knew he was at the wedding reception for Bill and Fleur but had been a bad mood most of the evening. Remus had brought Tonks along as his date _again_ and Sirius found it mildly annoying. What was worse was the knowing little smirk Lily wore, and Sirius had a sinking suspicion he knew what it was about.

"Nothing," Sirius replied, forcing himself to grin. "Where did your husband run off to?"

"Nothing my arse, Sirius," Lily replied, ignoring his question.

"You better keep an eye on him, Lils," Sirius said, using her tactic of ignoring what she wanted to know. "Have you seen how many Veela are around here?"

"Have _you_?" Lily asked pointedly, glancing up at the dance floor. There were plenty of half and quarter Veelas such as Fleur, running around from the young witch's maternal side of the family but Lily had caught sight of at least four full-blooded Veelas. No one outshone the bride but Lily could swear she had seen many tongues rolling out of men's mouths and enough drool to fill an ocean.

"Of course!" Sirius said, turning a charming grin to a passing Veela who was being hounded by a middle aged Weasley man, one of Arthur's brothers, and a young boy not much older than Harry.

"Really? Because, from where I was sitting, it seemed like you haven't taken your eyes off of Remus all night," Lily pointed out.

"You've been watching me all night, Lily? What's James going to say about this?" Sirius asked teasingly, though he felt his stomach twist up uncomfortably at the mention of his soul mate.

"Cut the crap, Sirius," Lily said. "You have feelings for him, don't you?"

"Lily, don't be silly," Sirius sighed, stopping himself from making a comment about her being _Silly Lily_ and adding other words that rhymed into the mix. He let his little amused act drop when he glanced back to where Remus and Tonks moved awkwardly together on the dance floor. Remus wasn't a good dancer as it was without giving him such a clumsy partner but they seemed to find humor in their own defects. "I just don't understand why he's with her all of a sudden."

"Oh?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow doubtfully.

"Stop. You look like Snivellus when…err…Snape when you do that," Sirius said, quickly correcting himself when Lily glared at him.

"If you don't have feelings for Remus, then why are you so jealous of Tonks?" Lily asked.

"I'm not jealous of Tonks and I don't have feelings for Remus!" Sirius declared defensively. "I just…He's never shown interest before, right? And she's had a thing for him since she joined the Order! I just think he's with her because he's feeling weird about our bonding and I don't think it's right for him to go around using her like that."

"Uh huh," Lily said suspiciously.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd?" Sirius demanded irritably. Did no one else find it strange that Remus was all of a sudden interested in the metamorphmagus? Tonks had been showing interest for a while now but it was only when Remus found out that Sirius was his soul mate and decided to perform the Soul Bond with him did he decide to return those interests. "It's not like we're queer or anything. We don't have to be romantically involved, right? That's what the book said! That's what everyone has been saying! But it's like he needs to be with her to prove that to himself."

"He's not the only one trying to prove something to himself," Lily muttered.

Sirius snorted. "Lily-doll, Remy and I have been mates since _childhood_. There is nothing there! And if there were I would have noticed by now! I'm not into blokes. Remus is practically my brother and you, of all people should remember that being soul mates does not automatically make you perfect for each other."

Lily looked skeptical and seemed like she might argue. After a moment's hesitant, she sighed then patted him on the shoulder and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "At least stop sitting here scowling. Go talk to one of the Veela. That really tall one, Brigitte, has had her eye on you all night."

"Oh?" Sirius asked distractedly, having to pull his gaze away from Remus and Tonks again to turn to the direction Lily was looking. The tallest of the Veela women was indeed sending him hopeful glances now and then while she spoke in rapid French with Fleur, Gabrielle, and a few of the other Veela cousins. For once in his life, Sirius felt little interest in womanizing and would have much preferred staying at his table alone moping. No, moping wasn't the right word, Sirius thought with a frown. He wasn't necessarily enjoying himself, but it was the only thing he really felt like doing. With his conversation with Lily fresh in mind, though, Sirius forced himself to grin and stand up. "You're a good girl, Lils," he said, reaching up as if to ruffle her hair and shrugging his shoulders then smoothing his hands down the front of his dress robes when she glared at him for the attempt.

Maybe flirting with Brigitte would cheer him up anyway.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ginny asked as she and Hermione finally pulled away from the wedding reception. Knowing how hard of a time Hermione had been having as well as how close Ginny was to Hermione, Bill and Fleur hadn't questioned it at all when the pair excused themselves a bit early. They stayed as long as possible but the Malfoys had requested to meet that very day and they really had to get going. Ginny had volunteered to accompany Hermione for moral support as well as protection. Lucius Malfoy was a known Death Eater and, while Hermione had convinced them to meet her in public, Ginny still hadn't been fond of Hermione meeting them all by herself.

"I'm positive," Hermione replied though her voice didn't sound very positive at all. She smoothed out the front of her green dress and finally stopped at a safe enough distance from the Burrow. "Are _you_ sure _you_ want to do this?"

"Of course," Ginny snorted. "No more stalling, let's go."

Hermione laughed nervously and reached out to take a good hold of Ginny. She was a bit worried about using side-along Apparition with someone else since she had only recently gotten her Apparition license but there weren't many options and this seemed the easiest. Within seconds, they were standing outside of the magical entrance to the Leaky Cauldron and, to Hermione's relief, they were both in one piece. Hermione could feel her anxiety levels increasing as she looked at the door and she rubbed her hands together then glanced at Ginny uncertainly. Before she could say, or do, anything a couple of wizards pushed rudely past them and entered the pub.

"Mione?" Ginny asked.

"I'm fine. I'm fine," Hermione said, shaking her head. "It's just…We're meeting the Malfoys. Here. And…It's been weeks and I don't think it's really hit that he's my…You know?"

"Yeah, I know," Ginny said sympathetically. "You know you don't have to…"

"Yeah, I know," Hermione said, taking a deep breath. "But I'm going to. Come on."

Gathering her courage, Hermione opened the door and stepped in with Ginny by her side. The Leaky Cauldron was mostly empty and Hermione let her eyes scan the room. It wasn't hard to locate the Malfoys even though they had chosen to sit at a table in a dark corner. They looked very uncomfortable and they in their expensive robes didn't seem to really fit in at such a normal place among normal people. Lucius Malfoy saw them first and sat up straight. Hermione glared at his judgmental look and stood tall, walking gracefully over to the table.

"Good evening," Hermione said politely.

"Hello, Miss Granger. Have a seat," Narcissa replied with a small smile. She was hardly warm and welcoming but she did appear to be trying and it surprised Hermione.

"You brought a Weasley," Lucius said.

"You didn't think I trusted you enough to come alone, did you?" Hermione asked stiffly, sitting in one of the chairs in front of the Malfoys placing herself right in front of her soul mate without meaning to.

"A very wise decision," Narcissa said with a nod, glaring at her husband. Lucius ignored her and instead followed Ginny with his eyes as she sat down next to Hermione.

"So Ma—Draco," Hermione said, having to stop herself from referring to her classmate by his surname considering there were two other Malfoys at the table. "Do you have any questions?"

"I am curious as to why you contacted me," Draco replied carefully, the muscles in his face twitching slightly. The struggle to remain as polite as possible was clear in his strained voice and the pained expressions he wore. Hermione was slightly surprised she hadn't been insulted or threatened thus far also by the look of approval Narcissa sent him. She figured it was at the encouragement of his mother. Still, why _any_ of the Malfoys were interested in this or playing nice with her was something she didn't understand and, to be honest, it made her a bit suspicious. "You…_We_ don't really…'need' to do this."

"I know it isn't necessary but I believe it would do us both some good," Hermione replied carefully. "I've known for a few weeks, actually. I took the time to think through everything. We may not get along at all but I thought that this was above petty grudges." Perhaps '_petty grudges_' was putting it lightly. "It would also be a great learning experience since not much is known about Soul Bonds. There is so much potential in the whole thing. The bond could very well give us both a lot more than we believe right now and, even if it doesn't, I thought any boost magically would be…welcome."

Draco just stared at her for a long moment, studying her, and Hermione shifted uncomfortably where she sat. Finally, Draco nodded and glanced to Narcissa. Mother and son shared a moment before Draco cleared his throat and sat up straighter. "Would there be any…_other_ benefits to…this bonding?"

Hermione blinked and thought about his words for a few seconds then shot a confused look to Ginny who just shrugged. She didn't ask right away for clarification, wanting to be sure that his words couldn't be taken any way she could understand. Eventually she decided that she just didn't know. "I'm sorry, what do you mean, exactly?"

The youngest Malfoy hesitated and shot his mother another look. Narcissa smiled sadly and turned to look at Hermione. "You would like to bond with Draco, wouldn't you, Miss Granger?" Narcissa asked. "As a 'learning experience', as you called it, and for the power boosts it can give you."

"Y…Well, yes," Hermione replied slowly.

Narcissa nodded. "It would also do Draco some good, we are aware, but my Draco is very powerful and talented without doing anything extra," she said fondly. Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes while Ginny didn't. Hermione shot her friend a glare at the scoff the redhead uttered and smiled apologetically to Lucius who glared at the young Weasley. "Considering your allegiances and our obviously poor associations, we had hoped you might be capable of providing certain protections for Draco."

"Protection?" Hermione repeated warily. This didn't sound good. Did they think that Hermione would just go off and forbid anyone in the Order from attacking Draco during the war? If he was a Death Eater, and it certainly sounded that way to her, then Hermione was making no such promises. It was ridiculous of them to ask such a thing! She knew the chances when she wrote that letter to Draco but she had hoped he might not have taken the Mark and had even assured herself she might convince him to turn away from Voldemort if he were to bond with her. It was a long shot, she would admit, but worth trying. Here and now, feeling some panic at the close admission to their continued alliance to Lord Voldemort, Hermione was starting to wonder what had possessed her to write that letter in the first place. She did not need Draco Malfoy, soul mate or not!

"Yes, protection," Narcissa said. "I assume your…_friends_…would not approve of you bonding with anyone of particular…alliances, should we say? Draco has made no decisions yet and could be spared such a dark fate if your people could take him in, thus caring for him. You could assure yourselves that he would do nothing to harm you by doing this. If not, you could very well run the risk of betrayal and other such dangers by being so closely tied to someone of a…Darker nature."

"Right," Hermione said, blinking in surprise, the wheels in her head spinning. She certainly hadn't anticipated _that_. "So, speaking plainly, you want us to offer Draco protection from Voldemort and to keep him from becoming a Death Eater?"

Narcissa cringed and Lucius glowered dangerously at her. "There is no use talking in circles," Hermione explained, half apologetically and half irritably. "It may be dangerous to talk about, but as much as I despise that monster, he is too smart to not understand what you meant by all of that and even if you _didn't_ mean it he is certainly paranoid enough to make sure he didn't have any traitors."

"I don't care," Narcissa whispered passionately, leaning over the table slightly. "I just want my son to be safe!"

"Mother!" Draco whispered sharply, pink filling his pale face.

"And you want us to save you from becoming a Death Eater, Draco?" Hermione asked, turning to the younger wizard.

"I…" Draco began and glanced uncertainly to his father. "Y…Yes…I'd very much like that."

"You understand we'll have to make certain this isn't some sort of trick before we can offer anything, don't you?" Hermione asked, eyes trailing slowly over each Malfoy.

"We understand perfectly," Narcissa said. "Do whatever you must but work quickly. We don't know what time we have left."

"Alright," Hermione said, already making up plans in her head and feeling the same thrill that she always felt when she had a new project. If they were serious about wanting to keep Draco away from Voldemort, that was great! It certainly made Hermione feel easier about the idea of bonding with him. They would have to use Veritaserum, of course, to be sure he wasn't lying and probably other methods of assuring everyone that he was serious. "I'll talk to those in charge but I am positive we can make this work. If you _are_ serious then I'll do everything I possibly can to make it work."

To Hermione's surprise, all of the Malfoys seemed to relax somewhat. Lucius looked relieved, his once stony face softer somehow as he glanced aside to his wife and son. Narcissa smiled gratefully and reached out to give Hermione's hand a squeeze. Even Draco looked incredibly reassured and hopeful. Hermione smiled softly with a bit more confidence that everything might just work out. She had a sense of purpose now and was pleased that she might very well have the chance to make things better for this family. Granted, it was _Malfoy_ but if they were willing to turn away from Voldemort that was amazing!

She glanced at Ginny who didn't seem sure what to think. Sensing Hermione's eyes on her, Ginny turned and offered a supportive smile. "So, what now?" Ginny asked.

Hermione shrugged and turned to the Malfoys. "Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

Narcissa began to shake her head and opened her mouth to speak, but Lucius quickly cut in. "Just one more thing, Mu—Miss Granger. How can we be certain of _you_?"

"Me?" Hermione asked in surprise and glanced at Ginny. What did that mean? They didn't trust her? That seemed silly but, after a second thought, maybe it wasn't. Did they expect her to turn them in to the Ministry or something? Use their hopes against them to lure them into a false sense of security then ripping it all away from them. It wasn't something they would do, Hermione knew, but they couldn't know that. And to think that _but we're the good guys_ was on the tip of her tongue. How silly! "Well…What did you have in mind?"

"I would like proof that you are, indeed, Draco's soul mate," Lucius said.

"And I thought you didn't believe in soul mates," Narcissa said in amusement.

"She is," Draco said quietly. He was looking pointedly away from his parents, fixed on the wall right behind Hermione. "I…I went to Severus a week ago after Mother told me about his new invention. I was curious. The idea wasn't all that pleasant and knowing your opinion of the matter, I didn't want to bring it up. The fact that Granger got the same results I did must say something."

"Yes, it must," Narcissa agreed with a sly smile.

"We should still perform a test, to be certain. Your people might want the same proof, as well," Lucius suggested.

"If they ask then we can perform the test in front of everyone," Hermione agreed. "I assume that's not all you'll need? Just tell me what I need to do to make you more comfortable in my genuineness."

"I would like you to promise, under Veritaserum, that you have no ill intentions towards my family or myself," Lucius explained.

"Why sh…" Ginny began.

"That's fine," Hermione cut in, trying to send an appeasing look towards her friend. Ginny was shocked but Hermione would be fine. She was confident enough in her skills to check Veritaserum and be sure there was nothing poisonous about whatever concoction they provided her with. There was nothing harmful in the truth unless they tried to use it against her. But that was why she had Ginny here. If they tried anything then she knew Ginny would be able to help her and she was sure they couldn't do anything too bad in public. On the off chance, though, Hermione glanced around the pub uneasily. Tom, the barkeep, was there. She didn't recognize any of the other customers and felt her stomach drop a bit at the thought that this could be a trap. Maybe she should have told one of the older Order members where she was going to be tonight. "But I expect you to provide the antidote as well, in case the questions go off task. As a precaution, of course."

"Of course," Narcissa replied with a small smile. When Lucius smirked and began digging in his robes, Narcissa sent him a surprised look and Hermione couldn't help but laugh surprised as Lucius pulled out two small phials. He set them on the tabletop and watched Hermione expectantly.

Taking a deep breath to keep herself calm, Hermione reached forward and took the clear phial then removed the topper. She took a moment studying the clear substance, sniffing it, and even letting a drop fall onto her fingertip to rub it between her thumb and forefinger to check the consistency. A very well-brewed batch of pure Veritaserum. She almost wanted to ask if Professor Snape had brewed it for them but decided against it. She set the phial aside and pulled the other one towards her to check the antidote, which was an opaque sky blue color. She went through the same routine of studying the color and the way it moved in the phial, the smell, the feel of it on her fingers. Satisfied with both, Hermione held each phial in a different hand and turned her head to demonstrate to the Malfoys each drop of Veritaserum that hit her tongue before turning back to face them and swallowing it. It had a bad aftertaste but she had tasted worse. The only thing that really worried her was the direction this would go. In all honesty, she half expected the Malfoys to immediately launch into questions about the plans of the Order of the Phoenix or personal question about its members and braced herself, carefully removing the topper of the antidote to be ready.

"Do you intend to bring any harm or shame to my family?" Lucius asked.

"No," Hermione replied. Narcissa looked pleased. Hermione herself felt some sense of calm starting to come over her, eating away at her tension slightly. Reassuring the Malfoys made her feel easier somehow, especially seeing Narcissa's open reactions.

"Will you do everything in your power to make sure Draco is safe?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, I will," Hermione promised.

"Do you intend to use Draco in your little fight for the good?" Lucius asked.

"No," Hermione replied immediately though she hadn't really thought out the question all that much. She took another second to think of things before carrying on. "If Draco wants to help, that's up to him but we don't make people fight for us."

"What do you hope to achieve by bonding with my son?" Lucius asked.

"I hope to learn more about Soul Bonds and to make myself stronger magically," Hermione explained easily.

"Nothing more than that?" Lucius asked.

"Nothing more than that," Hermione agreed.

Lucius studied her for a moment before nodding and settling back in his seat. Taking this as her cue, Hermione raised the antidote to her mouth. Narcissa quickly asked another question before Hermione could drink the antidote. "And how do you feel about my son?"

Hermione lowered the phial, seeing no harm in this question. "I don't like him."

Narcissa frowned but nodded. "Why?"

"Because he is an arrogant spoiled prick who wastes what brains and talent he possesses childishly. If he applied himself and stopped acting like such an arse just because he feels he is allowed to, he'd probably be a very brilliant wizard. As it is, he only acts like a complete prat and I dislike that greatly," Hermione explained, glancing to Draco. She hadn't meant for it all to come out like that. She certainly hadn't wanted to compliment him, but it had slipped out without her consent. Scowling, Hermione quickly downed the antidote. "Is that all?"

"Yes. Thank you very much, Miss Granger," Narcissa said with a smile. "We will await your word."

Hermione smiled politely at Narcissa. "I will get back to you as quickly as possible, I promise." She then glanced to Draco and Lucius. "Have a good evening. Goodbye," she said, sliding out from behind the table and following Ginny back outside.

"That went better than I thought," Ginny remarked, eying the door to the pub as it swung closed behind them.

"Yes, it did," agreed Hermione. She felt very strange, as though she wasn't quite sure what to think or how to feel about the whole situation yet. It certainly hadn't gone how she had expected but she rather liked that. She had spent a great part of yesterday and all this morning worrying over her decision to owl Draco. It seemed foolishly dangerous to just go meeting with known Voldemort supporters without the supervision of an older Order member, even if she was of legal age and a smart and talented witch in her own right. "You ready to go?"

"Sure," Ginny said. Hermione held tightly onto her friend's arm and Apparated them both back to the Burrow. The reception had wound down a great deal by now. Hermione didn't want to stick around, sure that the smaller crowd would only make the chances of having to see or be near Ron and Hannah all the bigger. Besides, she had a new project to work on and she wanted to start straightaway. Her mind was buzzing with points to make, how to word the conversation, and who exactly to talk to as she bid Ginny goodnight and left to return to her temporary residence at the Potter household.

Harry wiped his sweaty hands on the front of his dress robes as he walked up to Snape's front door. It had taken a while to get away from the reception. Everyone wanted to talk to or dance with him and Harry didn't know how to get away without drawing too much attention to the fact that he had somewhere to be. He was eventually able to get away when he asked Neville to help him out. His classmate was agreeable without asking many questions. Neville interrupted at an opportune moment when Harry was stuck in a conversation Ron, Hannah, Viktor, Tonks, Kingsley, and a part-veela witch. Neville pretended to have a problem he needed Harry's help with so asked Harry to come with him and Harry only stopped long enough to tell his parents he was leaving with Neville before heading off. Neville had wanted to leave anyway and was very nice about the whole thing. Harry only hoped that Snape didn't think he was 'late' or anything, since Dumbledore had left hours ago.

The door opened before Harry could knock and he was met by a scowling Snape and a smiling Dumbledore. "Come in, then, Potter."

"Right. Let's get this over with," Harry said awkwardly, stepping into the house.

"How are you, Harry?" Dumbledore asked politely, walking beside Harry while Snape strode briskly ahead of them to lead into the living room.

"Err. I'm fine, sir," Harry replied.

"Good, very good. You had a pleasant birthday?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yeah, it was fine," Harry said and watched as Snape made room in the small space by flicking his wand and sending all of the furniture to the wall.

"Now is hardly the time for pleasantries," Snape said impatiently. "It is late so I believe Potter and I want this to be done with as quickly and painlessly as possible."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Of course, my boys, I do apologize. Are you both certain you don't want any witnesses?"

"We're sure," Harry said quickly before Snape could. There was no one Harry wanted to tell until this was over and done with.

"Very well. You both know what position to take, then," Dumbledore said.

Harry's pulse raced as he got into position facing Snape. This was the moment he had been anxiously waiting for all week! Not that he was necessarily excited about being bound to Snape so much as he was eager to get it over with and see what good it could do him. It had been hard to focus on anything else all week making it to where he almost regretted not meeting with Snape the night before his birthday to get it over with at midnight.

Snape stretched out his arms and Harry mimicked him, remembering how the bonding ceremony had gone for his godparents, his parents, then Bill and Fleur today. He had seen it enough times to know what to do. Harry's arms jerked in surprise when Dumbledore poured the potion over their hands. It was cold. That feeling managed to get colder, oddly enough, when Dumbledore dropped the match onto their hands. It was like holding a big block of ice, so cold it was painful. He barely felt it at all when Dumbledore sliced into the palms of his hands. He and Snape then crossed their arms and held hands, skin finally starting to warm then feel normal at the touch of Snape's skin. Without having to be told, they looked into each other's eyes. It suddenly hit Harry how uncomfortably intimate this felt, standing so close to Snape, touching him, and now having to hold eye contact throughout this entire thing. Harry swallowed hard and resisted the urge to look away from the black orbs boring into him.

"_Ego redimio meus animus ut vestri_," Snape began his voice quiet. His voice felt like something tangible, gliding over his skin and sending shivers down his spine. How strange.

"_Ego redimio meus animus ut vestri_," Harry repeated.

"_Planto illa duos animus unus_," Dumbledore said. Harry was vaguely aware of the strip of light glowing between them.

"_Ego commodo meus veneficus ut vestri_," Snape said.

"_Ego commodo meus veneficus ut vestri_," Harry repeated.

"_Permissum suum veneficus permoveo una_."

Harry took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. Staring into Snape's eyes for so long was starting to make him feel dizzy. He was glad Snape was speaking first because Harry was sure he would have found it hard to remember his lines, otherwise.

"_Ego patefacio meus mens vobis_."

"_Ego patefacio meus mens vobis_."

"_Permissum lemma reputo ut unus_."

"_Ego patefacio meus pectus pectoris vobis_."

"_Ego patefacio meus pectus pectoris vobis_."

"_Permissim diligo redimio lemma intemporatlier_."

"_Ego trado meus somes expelo is sacramentum_."

"_Ego trado meus somes expelo is sacramentum_."

"_Permissim totus of lemma utriusque certamen. Duos res per unus fatum. Quicumque they es vedum thrive ex unus alius. Una they es universus_."

The bright light that came over them was blinding, but through it all Harry could still see Snape's black eyes staring still into his. Harry gasped quietly at the strong tugging he felt in his heart and in his gut, almost succeeding in pushing his body forward into Snape. The need to be closer was terrifyingly powerful and Harry grasped Snape's hands tightly in response. Snape frowned deeply, intensity lighting up his dark eyes. Harry swallowed hard and tried to calm the racing of his heart then was stuck somewhere in his mind between the urges to move closer and the logical part of his brain reminding him of what a bad idea that would be.

"How do you feel?" Dumbledore asked them.

Harry cleared his throat and glanced at the headmaster, flushing when he realized he had forgotten that the man was there. Whatever feeling had come over him had dimmed but the spell didn't feel completely broken yet. Snape seemed to have forgotten Dumbledore's presence, too by the dazed look in his black eyes when he glanced at the man.

"Umm…Fine," Harry said.

"Irritated," Snape said, voice lacking the bite he probably intended.

Dumbledore cracked a smile. "Good. I do have a meeting to prepare for in the morning so I must take my leave. If either of you needs to contact me, you should know where to find me."

"Of course, headmaster," Snape said.

Dumbledore left and it took Harry several long seconds to realize that he hadn't moved and that he and Snape were still standing close and still holding onto each other. Snape quickly yanked his hands free, obviously coming to his senses before Harry.

"Don't you have somewhere to be, Potter?" Snape demanded, voice still not as sharp as usual. Harry barley noticed.

"Right," Harry said, shaking his head and stepping back a few steps. This bond thing must have exhausted him or something. "Err… bye then."

It took a bit more thought than usual to turn around and walk to the door. It was as if his brain stopped wanting to cooperate with him. He considered slamming his head into the wall or something in hopes of straightening his mind back out. He barely noticed Snape was following him until he got to the door and opened it. In a matter of seconds, he went from not being aware of Snape at all to being aware of nothing but him.

Snape moved and the door closed but Harry was still inside, pressed against it with Snape's mouth pressed to his. Snape had kissed him! Or had he kissed Snape? His arms moved up to wrap around the taller wizard's neck, holding pressing as close as possible to the other body. Surprisingly, strong arms wrapped around his middle to aid the process. Kissing Snape was brilliant, not that Harry had much experience to compare it with. Not only had he been too busy with personal dramas and battling the evil in the world during his schooldays, he had never really found many people to be interested in let alone being able to do something about it. Too many people had been interested in his fame for him to really give any relationship a second thought.

Most people worried a great deal over their first kiss but Harry hadn't even seen this coming and let the movement of Snape's lips guide him along. Harry couldn't remember anything feeling so nice or tasting as nice as the warm, dry, surprisingly soft lips against his tasting strongly of coffee and cinnamon. Merlin, he wanted to kiss Snape forever! Trapped here between Snape's body and the door was the most brilliant thing Harry had ever experienced. He could do this for the rest of his life but he also wanted more.

What _more_ was, Harry wasn't entirely sure. He only knew that every inch of him was begging for more. More, more, more, more, more.

Harry gasped sharply when Snape's hips thrust against him, pressing firmly against his growing bulge. Snape's teeth grabbed his lower lip and bit down gently, sucking on them only a moment longer before trailing his mouth down Harry's jaw and to his neck. Embarrassingly needy pathetic whimpers escaped his throat and he continued to thrust his hips against Snape's, desperate for some sort of friction. Bloody _hell_ that felt good.

Fingers trembling, Harry reluctantly let go of Snape in favor of reaching up to begin undoing the clasps on the front of his dress robes. Snape made a noise of approval and pulled away from tasting Harry's neck to undo his own. Harry fumbled with his own clothes, watching in awe and fascination as Snape pulled at his own clothes. He started shoving at his clothes more with little care for their condition as he kicked them all away then, finally, tugged off his boxers and sent them flying across the room.

And Snape was touching him again. All of that bare pale skin with its many scars that he had been admiring was now pressed against him, smooth warm skin that felt so perfect against his own. Even better was the feel of Snape's obvious arousal. His own hands went exploring, but were stopped before long when Snape's hand grabbed his wrist and pried him away from his new favorite toy. Harry wanted to protest, but Snape was pulling him back and Harry stumbled after him readily. They didn't make it very far, only a few feet into the living room, before Snape was pressing down on him, urging him to the floor. Harry obediently laid on his back but couldn't help squirming as Snape crawled over his body, only pausing long enough to summon lubricant that came flying at them from somewhere on the other side of the house. Snape caught it, set it aside, then leaned down to kiss Harry deeply again, lowering his body more over Harry's until their chests pressed together. Harry arched his body up more to rub his cock against that firm stomach while Snape's tongue plunged into his mouth. Their frantic kissing was all teeth and tongues then Harry gave up that battle in favor of grasping Snape's hips to rub himself eagerly against the body above his.

That didn't last very long. The ever cool, collected Severus Snape seemed just as impatient and restless as his younger soul mate. So he soon moved his mouth down his jaw and neck, never staying in one area too long, as he trailed kisses, licks, and nibbles along his collarbone before trailing down his chest then stomach. He paused to dip into his bellybutton, a strange feeling that was both ticklish and erotic, before finally reaching the area that craved his attention the most. Black eyes flickered up to meet his gaze, burning and alive in his desire. Harry's breath caught in his throat at the sight of it. The man's gaze was suddenly far more interesting than where his mouth was.

The events that followed happened in such a blur that all he remembered was the pain, the pleasure, and the frantic need that drove them both on and on towards a glorious end.

**Author's Note:** Another chapter, yay! Severus and Harry are finally bonded! Woot woot!

Anyway, let me know what you think!

Big thanks to my reviewers: autumngold, Anniriel, ieatmyfeelings, bellatrix250, Tokugawa Blitzer, AlmondWithUnicornHair, monkeygirl66, Lady DestinyHope, Arco, and vampy-chan17!

And, of course, a big humungo thanks to my beta Dani who makes everything better!


	12. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

* * *

><p>Severus knew something was very wrong the moment he woke up. He wasn't in his bedroom nor was he even in a bed! With a grunt, he forced himself to open his eyes, glaring down at the carpet he had slept on. What on earth had possessed him to sleep on the floor of all places? He didn't dare move, already knowing what soreness was waiting for him when he did so. After forcing himself to blink, he had to resist the urge to close his eyes and go back to sleep. Having to use more energy than he cared to, he then forced himself to roll over onto his back, glaring around the area he soon realized was his living room. After another few seconds of looking around, he realized that the large lump laying beside him was one Harry Potter and all Severus could do with the realization was stare at the boy as the events of the previous night came flooding back into his mind.<p>

Bloody hell.

He had fucked the bloody Boy Who Lived! Buggered Lily's son, the son of the love of his life, right into his living room floor. That was beyond messed up. What had come over them? Those feelings of lust and need were unnatural. Had it been because of the bond? Severus couldn't remember any of the others jumping each other's bones when _they_ bonded. Unless something else had caused it. He would have to talk to Dumbledore about it after the meeting later because what had taken place was not normal in the slightest and it was certainly not due to any true attraction on his part or Potter's. Of everything, Severus was at least comfortable in that fact.

Right. They had a meeting to get to. That was a safer subject to focus on than dwelling over the strange happenings of the night before. Severus braced himself before sitting up, cringing slightly in the aches that tore through his body. He was too old to be sleeping on the floor in such a manner and to be shagging people the way he had Potter last night. It was nothing Severus couldn't handle though. He worked as a Death Eater and a spy so he had taken the Cruciatus Curse enough times to not be bothered much by a bit of stiffness in his body. It was nothing a potion wouldn't fix.

He could worry about that later. First thing was first; he had to get dressed. He wasn't willing to deal with waking Potter up in his current state of undress. After getting to his feet, he walked slowly to the front door where his robes from yesterday were laying and berated himself for leaving his wand lying about in such a way. He pulled the wand from his robes then walked to his bedroom, dumping them into his laundry hamper and pulling fresh clothes out of his closet. It took him a half hour to get ready, including a quick shower, getting dressed, brushing his teeth and hair before he deemed himself presentable enough to wake up Potter so he could kick him out of his house.

Back in the living room, Severus used his wand to turn on the lights and glared down at the sleeping naked boy. He looked highly uncomfortable, no happier with the floor as a bed than Severus had been. He was lying on his stomach, mouth slightly opened with a line of drool dripping out onto the floor. Severus wrinkled his nose at the sight and walked around the boy, pausing to stare down at the boy's arse. From his crack to the backs of his thighs looked to be dried semen and a small bit of dried blood. It was disgusting but, more than that, Severus couldn't help but to feel uncomfortable and a bit guilty. Had he really been so rough? So careless? He had been in such a frenzy last night, he must not have prepared him thoroughly enough. Not to mention he did recall going a bit overboard with things and he winced as the memory haunted him.

Grabbing Potter's hips as tightly as he could, using all of his strength and energy to ram into him as hard as possible. The feel of his heart thumping hard, fast enough to possibly jump right through his ribs and out of his chest. The echo of his grunts, the obscene sound of sweaty flesh slapping into each other, hearing Potter's moans, whimpers, and pleas…

It was disturbing and he was _not_ getting aroused by the mental image.

And, dear Merlin, the boy hadn't been a virgin, had he?

Pulling himself from his thoughts and sparing himself from leading to his own insanity, Severus moved forward then gently stuck out his foot to prod the boy. "Potter," he said firmly. "Potter, wake up!"

"Mmm right. 'M up," Potter murmured. His eyes squinted open and he moved to roll over onto his back, immediately hissing in pain, his whole body tensing up in response as he rolled back onto his stomach. "Fuck! What the hell?"

"Language, Potter," Severus snapped, pleased by the irritation that leaked into his voice. Sadly, the irritation had more to do with feeling any sort of sympathy and guilt towards him rather than actual annoyance towards the irritating brat.

"Snape?" Potter asked in confusion, face twisting up in pain as he pushed himself onto his knees, then standing up on wobbly feet. "What the…oh _bugger_."

"Indeed," Severus said, raising an eyebrow. The boy swayed, his whole body still tight and hunched over, face clearly expressing the excruciating pain he was experiencing. Not only was sleeping on the floor a bad idea but Severus could only imagine what sort of condition his arse was in, _especially_ if he _had_ been a virgin.

"Shite!" Potter said, running his fingers through his messy hair.

"You need to get home to shower and dress before the meeting. It starts in two hours," Severus instructed, folding his arms over his chest. The sooner Potter was out of his sight, the better. He considered for a moment to let Potter shower here but he could do it just as well in his own home and it was probably better that way. Severus didn't even want to think about what Lily would think when she saw her son but Severus was confident that Potter wanted his parents to know what happened about as much as Severus did.

"Right," Potter said coldly, glaring at him. His hands quickly flew to his exposed crotch as he realized he was nude. "Err…My clothes?"

"On the floor by the entrance," Severus said, stepping back and nodding in the direction. Potter just glanced at it then nodded before heading over there. Potter was limping badly enough that Severus stood on edge, half expecting the boy to fall over at any second. Maybe he should offer the brat a pain potion but something stopped him. He stood silently, staring at the opposite wall as he used his hearing to listen to Potter dress and wait until he heard the boy leave by the closing of his front door.

It was just sex…sex with a student, granted. Sex with someone twenty years his junior. Sex with the son of his worst enemy. Sex with the son of the only woman he had ever loved. Sex with the bloody Chosen One. _Sex_ did not need to be so bloody complicated nor did it need to give him such a headache. Severus finally moved from his spot with this in mind, heading to the small closet that resided next to the door that led down to his laboratory. He stored his potions here, the ones he kept for personal use, and quickly scanned over the phials before selecting one that would manage to relieve the soreness in his body as well as a mild Calming Draught that would, hopefully, help him remain focused and concentrate on getting his notes ready for today's meeting.

Once the potions were in his system, he pushed Potter from his mind and headed to his office to work.

* * *

><p>Snape was a bloody git! Harry spent his time walking home mentally cursing his potions professor and, sometimes, even muttering some of them under his breath. What else could anyone expect from the man? Harry had only just woken up in a great amount of pain as well as being deeply troubled to discover what all had happened to them after the bonding ceremony. Snape just told him to leave, though, feeling filthy and in incredible pain! Merlin, he just wanted to lie down until everything stopped hurting. He felt as though someone had set the end of a broom on fire and then shoved it all the way up his bum! Every step he took, every slight shift of his body, shot that burning sensation through him again. That was bad enough without the stiffness in his neck, the cramps in his arms and legs, as well as the throbbing of his temple. Bloody hell, everything hurt and everything he did caused <em>something<em> discomfort.

He was in too much pain to really think of anything and the shock was still too strong for him to fully accept the fact that not only had he bonded himself completely to Snape but he had lost his virginity to the man! Sex with the greasy dungeon bat. Harry shuddered and tried not to think about how good it was. Fucking shite, the memories needed to go away! The images seemed to be burning themselves into his mind and he didn't approve of it one bit! He would actually be much happier if he could forget. Maybe he could ask Snape to completely Obliviate him after the meeting later. That option was preferable to dealing with this the rest of the day or even longer.

The limp in his walk wasn't _as_ bad when he walked into his house but it was still enough for everyone to notice.

"Oh my God, Harry, what happened?" Lily cried, flying out of the kitchen to pull her son into her arms. Harry cringed and hissed in pain.

"Merlin, are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked from the couch, setting down the latest _Daily Prophet_ and coming up to stand by them.

"Harry's back?" called James's voice from upstairs and a few seconds later he had joined them.

"Harry got laid!" Grace exclaimed giddily, skipping downstairs after her father.

"Not now, Grace!" Lily snapped. She glowered at her daughter until the smirk faded from Grace's face and she seemed to slump a bit. Lily then held Harry slightly away from her to look at him anxiously. "Where were you? Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm fine, Mum. I'm sorry I didn't let you know anything," Harry said nervously, trying to break through the pain enough to focus and come up with a decent story. He very well wasn't going to tell them he bonded with Snape or that they had sex! "Err…Neville needed help with personal issues, like I told you, so I went to his house. He was really upset, though, so I tried to get his mind off of things and we tried flying around. But it was dark and we weren't being careful and he accidentally knocked me off of my broom," Harry lied. "His grandmother helped patch me up a bit and let me sleep on their couch, but it still hurt a lot this morning. I just need to take something else for the pain and go take a long shower or something."

"Oh, Harry. You need to be more careful," Lily sighed, giving him another hug. "You should have sent word."

"I know, I'm sorry," Harry apologized, feeling bad for making her worry especially since he hadn't actually been in any danger. Unless people died during sex. From how bad he felt right now, he almost had to question if that could actually happen.

"Calm down, Lils. He's alright. And he's seventeen, he doesn't have to check in with us for everything," James said, patting her shoulder, though he was frowning and looking at Harry with the same concern his wife did.

"He's still my son and I need to know that he's okay! There's a war going on out there, James!" Lily snapped. "It's bad enough that he feels responsible for everyone and everything! How are we supposed to know he didn't decide to go hunt down Death Eaters?"

"Erm…I'll let you know before I start killing people," Harry promised, trying to make light of the situation. It was hard to do when he was starting to feel dizzy in this throbbing pain and wanted nothing more than to just relax. "Look, I'm fine and I'm sorry for worrying you. Can I go take a shower? And do we have any pain potions? Please?"

"Oh, right," Lily said, running her fingers through his messy hair. "I'll go get you one and then you go get cleaned up. Don't forget, the meeting's in less than two hours now! Your first one."

"Yeah, I know," Harry said with a grin. It was only what he had been looking forward to since he was fifteen when the Order of the Phoenix had come back together. He and Neville both were being inducted into the group today. It really was too bad that such a monumental occasion was to be ruined by awkwardness with Snape and having to reveal he had lied to his parents about where he was. They were going to have to learn about his bond sooner or later and Harry had a feeling that this meeting was going to be it. At least they'd have to deal with hearing it in front of a group full of people and that should, hopefully, make it easier on him.

"Mum, are you sure I can't go to the meeting?" Grace asked, following Lily as she walked to where they stored their potions.

"Grace, you're staying here and that's final!" Lily called out.

Harry snorted and shook his head. Hermione frowned at him and stepped closer. "You really were at Neville's last night?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

Harry sighed. "No," he admitted. "But I can't tell you just yet, you'll find out at the meeting."

Hermione clucked, looking like she might want to say something though she kept her mouth closed. He shot her a look, pleading with her not to mention his lie until he had the chance. She said nothing when Lily returned to hand Harry his potion, instead, returning to the couch to continue reading her paper. Harry let a few drops of the potion fall into his mouth before heading upstairs to shower. He really wasn't looking forward to having to tell his parents the truth but refused to spend his last couple of hours before the meeting worrying over it either.

* * *

><p>"The first order of business for today will be to welcome two new members into our fold," Dumbledore announced once everyone was present in the dining room they normally used for Order meetings.<p>

Harry tried not to grin like an idiot but it was exciting. He had wanted this for so long and here he was, finally becoming an official Order of the Phoenix member! This was much better than being part of Dumbledore's Army his fifth year. This was real and, now that he was seventeen, he could participate; helping out with this cause and, hopefully, that meant he could destroy Voldemort once and for all soon enough. Dumbledore would have to let him take part of hunting down the Horcruxes more now! Harry fought his grin and shifted in his seat. The pain potion had helped though his bum was still a bit uncomfortable and shot a sharp pain through him if he moved a certain way.

"Neville Frank Longbottom, do you swear to uphold the ideals of the Order of the Phoenix, to dedicate your time and talents to our cause, and strive to overcome the darkness of our world for the greater good, so help you Merlin?" Dumbledore said in a professional tone.

"I-I swear," Neville said nervously.

Dumbledore nodded and turned to Harry. "Harry James Potter, do you swear to uphold the ideals of the Order of the Phoenix, to dedicate your time and talents to our cause, and strive to overcome the darkness of our world for the greater good, so help you Merlin?"

"I swear," Harry agreed eagerly.

Dumbledore smiled. "Very good, then. Now, has anyone brought any news for us?"

Severus stood and recounted the latest Death Eater meeting for everyone. Voldemort was hoping to have one of the Death Eater's children kill Dumbledore that year, preferably Draco Malfoy, and he had various people working within the Ministry in hopes of taking down that plan. Unfortunately, as trusted as he was, Severus didn't have all of the details regarding the workings of the Ministry. Kingsley and Tonks were then called upon to provide any useful information about odd behavior in any Ministry workers before giving their planned announcements. Scrimgeour was having them waste so much time going after anyone that gave even the slightest hint of having a dark side and accusing them of being Death Eaters instead of letting them focus on actually trying to find the _real_ Death Eaters. There were many complaints on that end of things and they strategized a bit, trying to find ways of convincing Scrimgeour to calm down then actually do his job instead of worrying about his public image. They weren't very hopeful; Scrimgeour was proving to be only a slightly better alternative to Cornelius Fudge.

There was talk over various alliances concerning different groups, the biggest points being the giants. Arthur and Molly told of Charlie's recent letters revealing how he was doing with recruiting wizards, witches, and other creatures from other countries.

"Maybe we should see if Charlie can bring some dragons over for us to use," Ron joked.

That was a mistake.

"Ronald Weasley, you should know better than that!" Molly snapped.

"No one can really control dragons very well, not even the dragon tamers. Not enough to actually make them useful in a fight. They would hurt us as much as they would the enemy," Marlene McKinnon pointed out.

Hermione joined the discussion pointing out the flaws in the thinking. She did point out that if they _could_ tame the dragons enough, they would be in good shape. Dragons were volatile and dangerous as well as illegal to have in the country without strict licensing. They were better off remaining in the dragon reservation in Romania. She ended her little speech with a comment about not needing to use poor creatures in their war that did not have a say in the matter, leaving Ron gaping at them.

"Blimey, it was a joke!" Ron exclaimed.

"Now is neither the time nor place to joke about such things, Ronald!" Molly fussed.

"Ah, let us resume our meeting, shall we?" Dumbledore suggested, an amused glint in his eyes. "Do we have any other matters to discuss?"

Everyone began looking around, waiting for someone to speak up. Harry sat up in his seat more and glanced uncertainly to Snape just as the man was looking away from him. Should they or shouldn't they announce this? Maybe this was something they should have talked about beforehand, Harry thought. He could always wait and ask Snape and they could announce it later, right? Harry wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, feeling anxious. Hermione looked ready to raise her hand and Harry was relieved. As Hermione moved her hand, though, Neville spoke up.

"Erm," Neville said, clearing his throat. "If there's nothing else that's very important, I was actually sort of wondering about this soul mate stuff? Hermione told me some of it and I was curious about it, I thought it might be good to see my own."

"I have every faith that Miss Granger provided you with much more information than anyone else could have given," Dumbledore said with a smile and Hermione flushed pleasurably and smiled. "Do you have any specific questions or would you merely like to see who your soul mate is?"

"I…I'd just like to see who it is, sir," Neville replied.

"Yes. Let's see," Dumbledore said. He pulled the necessary quill and inkpot from his robes then set them on top of the stack of parchment that was on the table in front of him. Pushing the pile over to where Neville was sitting, he gave him an explanation as to how it worked. Neville didn't look too happy about having to prick his finger but he did so without complaint and placed the quill down. Immediately it stood back up and began writing.

_The soul counterpart of Neville Frank Longbottom is one Cedric Amos Diggory_.

"Oh…erm," Neville said blushing.

"That's certainly not a bad match," Hermione said, glancing over to the parchment from the other side of Neville. Harry glanced at it, too, and envied his friend. Cedric was much better than _Snape_. Cedric was nicer and better looking. "Don't worry, Neville. Just because your soul mate is a male doesn't mean you are gay. And even if you were, that doesn't matter."

"Uh…Thanks," Neville said.

"Who is it?" Bill asked curiously.

"Cedric Diggory," Neville replied.

"Not a bad looking bloke," said Fred.

"Nice fellow," agreed George.

"I'm sure he'll treat you right," Fred continued.

"Think about it," said George.

"You could be stuck in a situation like our dearest Harry and Hermione," Fred said.

"And our poor darling sister," George went on.

Harry snorted and glanced to Snape who was busy glaring at the twins. Molly glowered at them, as well. "Behave!" she hissed at them, sending an apologetic look Snape's way.

"What? It's the truth!" the twin said in unison.

"What about them?" Neville asked.

Hermione sighed. "My soul mate is Draco Malfoy." She waited but when Harry said nothing she rolled her eyes. "And Harry's is Professor Snape. Ginny also got Blaise Zabini, I believe."

"Oh wow," Neville said, eyes growing wide before glancing to Harry with sympathy, his eyes flickering nervously to Snape only for a moment.

Harry felt like he should say something and turned to Snape. The man nodded encouragingly and Harry frowned and felt his stomach drop. He didn't want to do this. But, maybe, just getting it out of the way would be better, like ripping off a band-aid. His heart was beating a little harder now so Harry took a deep and calming breath. Hermione looked ready to say something again though, so he stopped. Hermione stopped, as well, and looked at him curiously before nodding encouragingly. Not her, too! Harry had promised she would learn the truth at the meeting, though. Besides, if his announcement was the last thing discussed at the meeting, it would be worse. Hopefully, Hermione would still have something to say whenever he was done.

"So…umm…we erm…we bonded last night," Harry said quickly and nervously. He spoke directly to Dumbledore, not wanting to really see everyone else's reactions.

For several long seconds the room was completely silent. Then James Potter spoke, his voice low and serious in a way that promised trouble. "What?"

Lily's eyes were wide as she looked from her son to her best friend. "S…Severus?"

Snape looked in Lily's general direction though he didn't really seem to look _at_ her. "He wished to bond last night and I agreed. He is seventeen and I saw no problem with it."

"You both knew we didn't like the idea," Lily said, struggling to keep her voice calm.

"This isn't your decision, Mum," Harry replied, struggling as much as his mother to keep the irritation out of his voice. It was his life and he could do what he wanted! He was of age now, they couldn't stop him from doing anything. It was his responsibility to go out and fight this fight then do everything he could to defeat Voldemort so they could win this war. Performing the Soul Bond with Snape was a promising way of helping that along. She knew it! They all knew it! But they wanted to deny him that because they were scared because they didn't want him to go out there and risk his life. They didn't see that it wasn't an option, that he _had_ to. He loved that they cared about him and he understood their issues but they couldn't just control him this way! He had at least waited until he was of legal age.

"We talked about this, son," James said, voice tight.

"Yeah, we did, and you both knew how I felt about this. I'm seventeen now," Harry reminded them.

"Did you even think this through, Harry?" James snapped.

"Of course I did! I had two bloody weeks to think about it because you wouldn't let me do it right away!" Harry retorted, clenching his fists under the table.

"Harry, do _not_ raise your voice at your father that way," Lily warned.

"Stop treating me like a child!" Harry snapped.

"Stop _acting_ like a child!" Lily shot back, glaring at him in a way Harry had rarely seen directed at him and was usually saved for Grace in her worst behavior. Harry cringed internally and felt the urge to back down but he forced himself to remain sitting tall.

"Harry, he's a Death Eater!" James cried.

"James," Dumbledore said, voice a quiet warning.

"James!" Lily hissed, though it was half-hearted compared to all of the other times Harry had heard her defend Snape. Harry glanced to his teacher, his face as blank as ever and not bothering to spare any of them a glance though the eyes of everyone else in the room were on them.

Harry turned back to glare at his father. "If we're going to judge everyone based on their past mistakes, I don't really think you'd like what people have to say about you," he said darkly.

James blinked, completely taken aback by the comment. He looked as though Harry had punched him in the face. Sirius looked just as stunned as his best friend did while Remus and Lily both gazed between father and son sadly. Ron, Hermione, and Snape all kept their gazes elsewhere. Dumbledore frowned. Everyone else looked lost.

Fifth and sixth year, Harry had had Occlumency lessons with Snape. They were horrible and they hadn't warmed Harry to the man at all. But Harry had seen glimpses of Snape's memories, including awful ones about Harry's father. James and Sirius had been bullies, Peter had encouraged it, and Remus had sat back and did nothing about it. Harry had confronted them all about it. They admitted to having been rotten in their younger years, but that they had changed and weren't those same people anymore. Harry had lost a lot of respect for them both after the incident though that didn't change how much he cared about them all. Snape's terrible mood also helped him forgive his father and godfather a lot faster.

"Such personal matters would be best discussed in private," Dumbledore suggested. "Is there anything else?"

Harry was glad he had chosen to sit between Neville and Ron. It kept him separated enough from Snape and his parents to allow him to relax somewhat, though he was still too aware of their presence nearby for his liking. Harry turned his eyes in Dumbledore's reaction, staring at the wall behind the headmaster and hoped to Merlin Hermione said something.

"I did have something to say," Hermione said, clearing her throat. "I met with the Malfoys last night." Many people grew tense and sat up, looking prepared to cut in. Even Harry bravely tore his eyes away from the wall to look at Hermione in surprise. "I wrote Draco Malfoy to discuss our soul mate situation. He has agreed to the Soul Bond though his parents would like to condition that we give Draco some protection from Voldemort and the Death Eaters if we do. It seems they want to keep him away from the war and away from that side of things. They seemed sincere, though I don't wish to blindly trust them. I think we should talk more with them and give it some consideration. It would be good to at least keep one person from taking the Mark. And, in addition, I would like to think that our bonding would be beneficial to our side."

"What do you think, Severus? Can we trust the Malfoys?" Dumbledore asked.

"If he thought it would please the Dark Lord, Lucius Malfoy would do anything to stay in his grace because it means safety. Lucius values his life and the life of his family too much to care about the greater good. However, I do believe that he would want to keep Draco from the Mark. He has no love for the Dark Lord anymore and I think if he thought he could get out of it alive, he would have abandoned the Death Eaters long ago. It is a tricky thing but a simple interrogation under Veritaserum can assure us of his truthfulness. If he is honest, Miss Granger does, shockingly, raise a valid point. Keeping Draco from taking the Mark would mean one less person to serve the Dark Lord and one more life to spare. If this Soul Bond _does_ provide anything useful, that would be something else to keep in mind. It is worth trying. I have some Veritaserum in stock, if you would wish to do this soon," Snape said.

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "What of Lucius and Narcissa? If we can guarantee their safety, would they abandon their lord?"

"If they believed they would be safe, without a doubt," Snape agreed.

Dumbledore nodded slowly, lost in thought for a moment. Everyone was watching him expectantly. Mad Eye Moody and a few others looked ready to start arguing if he agreed to it. Hermione simply looked hopeful and Harry sighed as he saw the way Ron was glaring daggers in her direction.

"Hermione, if you would, owl the Malfoys and inquire when would be a good time to meet with them?" Dumbledore asked.

"Of course, professor!" Hermione said eagerly. Since when was she excited about being Malfoy's soul mate? Harry was going to have to have a talk with her later. Probably after he was yelled at some more by his parents, Harry figured, eying them miserably.

"Very good. Anyth-?" Dumbledore asked.

"You can't be serious about trusting those Death Eaters, Albus," Moody cut in.

"No one said we trust them," Dumbledore explained calmly. "There is no harm in meeting with them."

"No harm?" Moody spat. "They're dangerous, the lot of them! It's a trap!"

"I met with them just yesterday and nothing bad happened," Hermione argued indignantly.

"Lucky, you are," Moody said. "That doesn't change the fact that they are Death Eaters. Why would people like the Malfoys care about soul mates? You know how they are about blood purity! They won't want their precious, pampered princess to have any connections with a Muggle-born!"

"You underestimate what parents would be willing to do for their children," Lily said quietly. "They might not be good people but I believe they would have the best intentions where their son is concerned. I can believe they would be willing to do this if it meant Draco's safety."

"People like that don't care about anyone," Marlene McKinnon argued. She was the only member of her family left and, from her bitter tone, Harry suspected the Malfoys had been involved in the massacre that had wiped out the rest of her family.

"Well, we'll just see, won't we?" Hermione argued. "They'll be given Veritaserum."

"You don't think there are ways around that? There are ways around almost everything!" Moody exclaimed.

"We can never be certain of anything," Kingsley said, though if he was agreeing with Moody or Hermione, Harry wasn't sure. Actually, Kingsley didn't seem very sure, himself.

"Alastor, we need to trust in Albus," Arthur said calmly. "If he thinks that questioning the Malfoys is our best option, then I trust that that's as such."

"It won't be dangerous at all," Tonks piped up confidently. "We can have loads of people there as protection. Just in case it _is_ a trap."

"See? I think it would be fine," Neville said, though his voice was quiet, as though he wasn't sure he should be volunteering his opinion at all. He seemed to relax at the approving smile Hermione sent him.

"Since you distrust them so much, perhaps you should be there to keep an eye on things, Alastor," Dumbledore offered.

"Damn right, I'll be there," Moody muttered.

"Then it is settled," Dumbledore said. "Now…Anything else?"

"Yeah," Ron said, sitting up. "Hannah and I are going to Soul Bond."

"That's wonderful to hear," Dumbledore replied with a smile, that mad twinkling back in his blue eyes.

"Congratulations, Ronald," Hermione said stiffly. One look at her and Harry figured that Hermione knew that Ron was doing it just to get under her skin.

"You should make it a double wedding!" George exclaimed.

"It is not a wedding!" Molly reminded them.

"We know, Mum," Fred said.

"It was a joke!" George assured her.

Molly muttered under her breath about sons who joked about serious matters and Arthur gave her hand a soothing squeeze.

"If that is all, this meeting is adjourned," Dumbledore said. "Harry, I would like you to stay here if you have a few minutes to spare."

"Yes, sir," Harry agreed readily, hoping Dumbledore wanted to discuss the Horcruxes.

Everyone else began filing out of the room, muttering under their breaths. Ron gave him a pat on the back as he walked by and Hermione reached over to squeeze his arm. "Good luck, Harry," Neville said as he stood. "If you need to get away," he said, glancing at Lily and James as they walked out, "you're more than welcome to stay with me and Gran for a while."

"Thanks, Neville," Harry said, watching as he left. Finally the door shut with magic and Harry turned, surprised to see that Snape was still there.

"I have something to discuss in private before I take my leave," Snape said and Harry felt nauseous, already guessing what this was about. He was not really going to involve Dumbledore in this, was he? "About our bond."

"Yes?" Dumbledore prompted.

"I have noticed in every Soul Bond I have witnessed that once the bond is created there is a very…charged moment…between the pairs," Snape explained.

Harry thought back to Sirius and Remus, his parents, and then Bill and Fleur. He thought about the fading lights and the intense way they had all stared at each other. In the cases of the latter two, they kissed passionately enough to leave everyone feeling uncomfortable. Why hadn't he remembered that this morning when he was so worried over what had occurred between Snape and himself? Maybe the other pairs hadn't run off to shag right away, but maybe it did have something to do with the bond.

"Yes, I have seen that, too," Dumbledore said, frowning. "What happened?"

"I felt something very strong between Potter and myself at that precise moment," Snape explained. "When you left, I walked Potter to the door then, when we brushed against each other, the feeling was back and it was stronger. Loathe as I am to admit it, Potter and I had sexual intercourse last night. I believe it had something to do with the bond."

Harry blanched as Snape confessed to shagging him. Did he have to say 'sexual intercourse'? Who said that? Dumbledore looked very serious now, glancing to Harry and Harry immediately looked away, not wanting to meet the headmaster's eyes.

"I am aware this subject may be difficult and perhaps embarrassing, but can you please explain to me a bit more of what happened?" Dumbledore asked.

"It was a pull," Snape explained. "A very strong pull towards each other. I am aware of the sort of nonsense silly sex-starved women write in their dirty novels but it did feel like…_need_. Something more than simple lust. I felt as if we _had_ to do it, as though something very big depended upon it."

"Uncontrollable," Harry offered, though his face heated up at the confession. He felt both pairs of eyes move to him. "I felt like I couldn't stop it, even if I wanted to. Like I would just keep going. _Did_ keep going even when it didn't feel good." That was possibly the most awkward thing he had ever said in his life, but if it would help Dumbledore figure it out and help keep them from doing it again, he was willing to humiliate himself a bit.

"I agree with Potter's assessment of things," Snape added.

"Hmm," Dumbledore hummed, leaning back in his chair and stroking his beard. "I do have a theory. You and Harry undoubtedly have the worst relationship of any known soul mates I've seen. Since the Soul Bond has tied you in many different aspects while you both remain personally opposed to one another, the bond was possibly trying to force you to get along. Since no force on earth can truly create emotions, it possibly drew on anything it could to bring you together. Because of your animosity, it needed something big and, perhaps, the only connection it could bring between you both at this point was physically."

"If it draws on what is already there, I do not see how it led us to copulate," Snape said dryly. "I'm hardly attracted to scrawny little boys."

Harry shot him a glare. Snape not being attracted to him was hardly offensive or bothersome but did he have to make comments like that? "Don't worry; I'm not attracted to greasy dungeon bats either."

Snape glared coldly back at him. "Then we're agreed."

"That is enough," Dumbledore said sharply. "You do not have to like each other but you will respect each other. We are all on the same side here."

"Yes, headmaster," Snape said sarcastically with a mock bow.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "This might have been a onetime occurrence but I don't think it will be. The bond will want you both to be close. You must at least attempt to get along with each other, lest you fall prey to carnal urges once more."

Carnal urges? Why did people have to make sex sound so weird? Then again, he didn't think it would make much sense for Dumbledore to say words like shag, bugger, or fuck anyway. Harry shuddered. He did not want to have sex with Snape again!

"In the meantime, you might want to warn Hermione," Dumbledore said to Harry. "Her relationship to young Draco Malfoy is much the same as yours with Severus. They will likely need to be supervised. But, even then, we can only watch and see what the bond will do to them."

"Okay," Harry said. He didn't really want to tell Hermione that he had shagged Snape, but if he could spare her from having to shag Malfoy, he supposed he owed it to her. She was his best friend.

"If either of you notices any strange occurrences, contact me straightaway," Dumbledore told them. "Anything could be a product of the bond and we need to know what is happening. If nothing does happen, we'll at least conduct one meeting between you both before the new term to test it."

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

"Of course, headmaster," Snape said.

"Now, I need to speak with Harry," Dumbledore said. "Unless you have more to say?"

"No, that will be all," Snape said, looking at Harry in disgust before sweeping out of the room. Harry glared after him.

How on _earth_ were they soul mates, again?

"Now, Harry," Dumbledore said once the door was closed, swishing his wand to put up Silencing Charms. "Let us discuss the Horcruxes."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong> Well, there you have it! I hope everyone enjoyed it!

Now I will tell you I started an outline today for my new fanfic, the prequel to Resistance. It will probably be called Escape or Uprising or something of that nature! Be sure to keep an eye on my author's page if you want to read it because the first chapter will probably be up within the next few days! I actually have lots of ideas for it, so I hope people enjoy it!

Also, writing this chapter reminded me that I need to eventually update the Introduction…I know I probably need to include some details about Harry's life at Hogwarts up until this point and I will do my best to also get that done at some point this weekend.

Even more importantly, the last chapter got so many reviews! I'm so, so, so, so super happy and I'm especially glad that so many people enjoyed the sex scene! Makes me tempted to stick another one in there soon if people are going to review because of it lol! You guys know I love me some reviews!

Big thanks to: Tokugawa Blitzer, AlmondWithUnicornHair, Mimi, Arco, Belladonna1185, Extraho, BluBy, Arcadia Val, AstrophobicChick, Lady DestinyHope, Anniriel, ieatmyfeelings, Monkeygirl66, MagicalWinry, and PureAsDrivenSnow for reviewing!

To PureAsDrivenSnow: Thanks for leaving a comment! Can't say I enjoy criticism, but I do appreciate having more to think about and knowing what people don't like and such. Now, I will say that there is a good reason Harry survived (well _I_ think it's good…I'll let my readers be the judge of that when we get to that point lol) and he will be doing a bit of growing up, especially now that he's of age and so determined to jump right into this war.

As always, humungo thankies to my lovely beta, Dani!

Up next…more drama for the Potter family! You don't seriously think they're just going to drop the issue, do you? ;)

PLEASE REVIEW!


	13. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

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Grace had spent the day with Ginny doing their best to eavesdrop on the meeting since they were both too young to be part of the Order. She had no idea what she was going to do when Ginny turned seventeen! They hadn't been able to overhear much of the meeting, though part of the drama that happened leaked when everyone began filing out. Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus all looking incredibly furious. Arthur and Molly stood in the doorway, glancing sympathetically to the group, whispering to themselves as they waited for Ginny to stand up and bid Grace goodbye. Grace watched them leave and glanced to her family curiously.

"I can't believe this," James was ranting.

"If Snivellus touches one _hair_ on that boy's head…" Sirius was going on.

"I know it's not the ideal situation," Remus said, no more pleased than anyone else about it, though he certainly seemed the calmest.

"That's putting it lightly," Lily said dryly, green eyes glancing over her daughter. "Gracie, go wait for your brother. Tell him to come in here when he's done with Professor Dumbledore."

"What's going on?" Grace asked.

"_Now_, Grace," Lily snapped.

Grace jumped. She wanted to argue because she wanted to know what was going on but knew better than to think she would win this one. Besides, it seemed to have something to do with Harry so she figured she'd find out before too long anyway. Grace dutifully waited for a few minutes before the door opened and Snape stepped out. He gave her a nasty look that she returned. Stupid git. Sirius had mentioned him. He must have done something. Greasy bastard, he was! Always giving her and Harry dirty looks! No one liked him much, did they? If he stopped being such a huge arsehole, maybe he would actually have friends and stop acting like such a jerk!

It was several more minutes before Harry walked out and Grace jumped up eagerly. "Mum wants to see you! She's in the living room. Are you in trouble? What happened?"

"What?" Harry asked distractedly. Dumbledore had given him a lot to think about. They discussed the Horcruxes a bit and how the headmaster believed he knew where another one was. Harry confessed his thoughts of dropping out of school seventh year to dedicate more time to the war effort. Dumbledore allowed that Harry could do as he wished, since he was seventeen, but reminded him of his bond with Snape and how he had performed the Soul Bond to help make him stronger. Sticking around to be near Snape and actually working on the bond was the best way of going about doing things. If he just up and left, that would mean he had gone through this whole thing for no reason! At the same time, he didn't want to sit around and wait for everyone else to do everything. He had a lot to think about and a very big decision to make by the end of the month. He was so worried about the war now that he had completely forgotten about the anger of his parents.

"Mum wants to see you," Grace repeated. "Though, if you run out now, I won't stop you. I'll have to tell Mum but I'll wait until you can manage to escape." Their parents _did_ seem very upset at the moment. She didn't envy Harry at all. However, she made sure to glance towards the living room to ensure sure no one overheard her offer. Seeing other people get in trouble was fun, especially Harry, but that was usually over silly things. Sibling rivalry sort of things. Whatever this was seemed sort of serious and Harry was acting so strangely now that it worried Grace. Not that she'd ever admit that.

"What?" Harry asked again, shaking his head to try to focus on his little sister. "Oh," he said when he remembered what she had said. Damn it. He thought about taking Neville up on his offer. Augusta Longbottom would be better to deal with right now than his parents would. He'd have to face the music eventually, though. Might as well get it over with now. "Eh…Thanks, Grace. I better go in, though."

Harry took a deep breath and walked into the living room with Grace right behind him. All heated conversation stopped the moment he entered. Harry had been the recipient of many a harsh look before but never had he been given then by so many of the people he cared about. It hurt and Harry glanced away, unable to meet their accusing gazes.

"Harry James Potter, how could you?" Lily demanded.

"I'm going to _kill_ that bastard, I hope you realize that," James spat.

"You knew we didn't want this for you!" Lily went on.

"Do you have any idea what you did, Harry?" Sirius demanded furiously. "You bound yourself to _Severus Snape_! He's a Death Eater!"

"He's a spy," Remus said, though his voice was quiet and unheard over the racket the others were making.

"Yeah? Well, you're an arse!" Harry snapped, glaring at him. Sirius blinked at him in surprise. "The Death Eater jokes are really getting old, Sirius. I may not like him, but he's not evil!"

"How can you know that?" James demanded. "You don't even know him!"

"Neither do you!" Harry snapped. "Look, this was _my_ decision, not yours!"

"We're your parents!" Lily cried.

"I'm _seventeen_!" Harry reminded her.

Lily snorted. "Seventeen might make you a legal adult but that doesn't mean you are mature enough to make such big decisions! You can drink, have sex with whoever you want, perform magic whenever you want but, just because you _can_ do something doesn't mean you should! I really don't think you thought this through, Harry! You're seventeen, yes, but you're _only_ seventeen!"

"You and Dad were engaged at seventeen," Harry reminded her heatedly. "Married at eighteen, pregnant at nineteen, and parents at twenty! That turned out just fine, didn't it?"

"Merlin, don't tell us you married the git!" Sirius said.

"Shite! No!" Harry yelled in frustration. This was getting very old very fast. He knew they would react badly but that didn't mean he was fully prepared for it. "I'm just saying! If they can make a decision like that at this age then why can't I decide if I want to bond with someone?"

"Well, to be fair, you bonded with Snape," Grace joked, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. "Can't help but question anyone's sanity with that one."

"Shut up, Grace!" Harry snapped. "You are _not_ helping!"

"Yeah, well, I don't think anything's going to help your case here," Grace said defensively.

"Grace, stay out of this," Lily said. "Harry, I just don't understand…"

"You don't have to understand! And you don't have to argue with me. Nothing can undo this stupid bond anyway, so you'll just have to get over it!" Harry snapped.

"Don't talk to your mother that way," James said sternly.

"In what way? Everyone's sitting here attacking me over this, why can't I fight back?" Harry asked in agitation.

"Completely unreasonable," Sirius muttered.

"You don't even know what you've gotten yourself into, Harry!" Lily exclaimed.

"I bet Sniv forced him into this," James stated.

"Oh, James, stop it," Lily sighed. "You know Harry wanted to do this from the start! Although we told him we didn't want him jumping into things." She said this with a sharp look to her son.

"Well there's not much you can do about it now, so why don't you all just _drop it_?" Harry snapped.

"I'm not just going to step back and pretend this is okay, Harry, because it's not!" Lily retorted.

"Would it have been better if it wasn't Snape?" Harry demanded.

"No!" Lily cried out immediately.

"Yes," James and Sirius agreed in unison.

Lily glared at them. "No! He shouldn't have done this whether it was Severus, Hermione or even if it was anyone else we like or trust! He's seventeen years old, that's too young to be making such big life decisions! You don't even know how strong this bond is or what it will do to you! No matter what the book says, it's a commitment! You have tied yourself to Severus as completely as anyone can tie themselves to anyone else! This is a big thing and it creates a very intimate feeling because of it! The book can say all it wants about the bond not requiring love or sex and, maybe it doesn't, but you should at least know a person better, understand the bond better, or _something_! There should be some foundation there, a somewhat civil interaction between two people! I don't care if he's your soul mate or not, Harry, you weren't ready for this!"

For a long moment, everyone just gaped at Lily as she blinked tears from her eyes, having worked herself up during her tirade. Maybe his mother was right in some sense of things. He hadn't thought about the bond itself the past few weeks so much as he thought about how much he wanted to do it and was determined to do it no matter what. Harry knew he probably _should_ have looked into it more and asked more questions about it. He should have talked to his parents or Sirius and Remus to see how the bond was affecting them, even if they would get suspicious over why he wanted to know. The words about how much of himself he had tied to Snape made him want to cringe but he tried not to think of it like that. They were connected now on a very intimate level. It was hard to think of it in that light and not feel nauseous. Harry forced himself to return his focus to the fact that the bond was going to make him stronger. He didn't feel much different other than some strange connection to Snape but he supposed it would all come in time. He couldn't afford to lose his sanity over thinking the situation.

"It doesn't matter," Harry said quietly. "Dumbledore brought this up because he thought that the people who did it…he thought that it could help us win this war! You told us that! I'm just doing my part."

"You shouldn't _be_ part of this, Harry! You're a child!" Lily exclaimed.

"Think that all you want!" Harry snapped. "I've dealt with a hell of a lot more than most children do. I'm ready for this! I've survived everything the world had thrown my way my whole life! I can do this. I _have_ to do this! The prophecy…"

"Fuck the prophecy, Harry!" Lily shrieked. Harry blinked in surprise. Lily didn't curse all that much and certainly not in front of her children and _especially_ not such a strong word. "Forget it! It doesn't mean _anything_! They are just words that Sybill Trelawney spewed to get a bloody job! Just because everyone else is convinced it's real…Just…No! No, no, no, Harry! Prophecies don't have to be real if you don't believe in them, so just…don't trust in it! The fate of the world is not on your shoulders!"

"It is!" Harry argued.

"Don't be stupid, Harry!" Sirius cried.

"I'm not being stupid! It's the truth!" Harry argued. "I _have_ to do this."

"You do not! And you _will_ not!" Lily snapped. "You get that out of your head right now! I knew that was what this was all about! Some stupid war! You're going to ruin your life putting so much responsibility onto yourself! This isn't up to you. There are bigger people, Harry, who will fight this war. People with more experience, more power and more _everything_. I think it's very brave and noble for you to want to help the cause but you are only a child so I don't want you involved in this."

"It isn't your choice," Harry growled.

"James! I told you! I fucking told you it would come to this!" Lily snapped, rounding on her husband.

"What are you yelling at me for?" James demanded in surprise.

"You let them do whatever the bloody hell they want!" Lily cried. Her face was red and her green eyes raged fiercely in her anger. "You told me it would be okay! You said it would be okay if Harry helped with the Horcruxes. That it would be good for him to feel useful! You said all along that he would be okay and that we shouldn't worry so much! That he was just getting in over his head but he would never actually…We know him better than that, James! We should have never let it get this far! You shouldn't have…You! This is your fault!"

"This isn't my fault!" James retorted.

"Would you get off his case?" Harry snapped. "Whether you 'allowed' me to do anything or not hasn't changed anything! I would still be doing this if you had bloody locked me up until my seventeenth birthday!"

"Probably not if they kept you there longer than that," Sirius muttered.

"Don't you say that!" Lily snapped, whirling back around to Harry, her eyes wide in horror. "Harry…We would _never_…"

"I know," Harry said, surprised. He hadn't meant for her to take it so seriously or so personally.

"I think we should all just take a deep breath and take a break from each other to cool down," Remus suggested quietly.

"I don't need to calm down," Lily said through gritted teeth. "I need for my son to realize what a mistake he's making. I need for him to see the reality of things. I need for him to understand that there are so many people willing to help and fight. That he isn't going to do this alone and that he doesn't _have_ to do this at all. He isn't ready for this! He _isn't_ going into this! He is my son and I…I forbid it!"

"Lily…" James said sadly.

Lily Potter looked mad right about now. Her face was red and she was breathing heavily. Her eyes looked wide and frightened as they filled with tears she seemed unwilling to shed. Lily shook her head rapidly and cleared her throat. "No, James. Harry, that is final! You will _not_…will _not_ do this."

"Y…No…No, you can't stop me," Harry denied, shaking his head. He didn't like seeing his mother in such a state but the guilt wasn't enough to completely override his irritation. He didn't understand why she was being like this. He knew she wouldn't like him wanting to join the war efforts this way but she hadn't had too much of a problem with him doing little things before.

"Don't test me, Harry James Potter!" Lily cried. "I have nearly lost you too many times in my life and I will not let you or anyone else put me through that again! We've been lucky to stay alive and keep this family together but that luck will only last us so long! A lot of that was out of my hands, but this? This I can control and I _will_. Harry…"

"This might not be the best time to discuss this," Remus intervened.

"Yeah," Sirius agreed awkwardly. "We need to continue our plans for killing Snivellus."

Remus sighed heavily and looked impatiently at his soul mate. "We are not killing _Severus_."

"Maybe you aren't," James snorted, seemingly eager to latch onto this new topic. He was a bit surprised by how much thought his wife had put into all of this just like everyone else.

"I can't,…" Lily began miserably, spinning around with her glare set on Remus.

Remus glanced up at Harry and walked closer to Lily. He spoke quietly, though Harry was able to overhear it and he had a feeling he was supposed to. "You're only upsetting him, Lily. If you want to get through to him, you should do so once you're both calm and thinking rationally. If you keep this up, he won't listen to you at all, understand? He might be willing to make some sort of compromise if…"

"I don't want a compromise!" Lily hissed.

"…you speak to him like an adult," Remus said, resting his hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard, Lily. Just give it some time. We'll all make sure Harry doesn't run off to do something stupid before you get the chance to have a more reasonable discussion."

Remus's eyes flickered up to Harry who hesitated before giving a short nod. He could afford to wait until September rolled around before running off. No matter what anyone said, he knew what he wanted. Besides, he was at least now considering staying at Hogwarts for his seventh year. He was tempted to tell his mother _that_ story to see how close she had had come to facing worse. Somehow, Harry didn't think it would work quite as well as he imagined.

"Let's just go home," Lily said quietly.

"I'm going out for a while," Harry said in response, recalling Neville's earlier words of letting him stay at his house if things went badly. He wasn't sure he wanted to deal with Augusta Longbottom breathing down his neck though. If Hermione was still around, Harry figured he could take her somewhere. They hadn't spent much time together lately and he did have to talk with her about the bond.

Lily looked ready to protest but Remus put a hand on her arm and she closed her mouth, turning away from Harry. Harry frowned deeply and hesitated in the doorway. He didn't want to leave his family upset right now but he knew it was probably better for everyone if they had a bit of space. "Try to cheer her up, alright?" Harry whispered to Grace.

"Alright," Grace agreed readily then gave him a quick hug before skipping over to their mother with a bright grin and way too much enthusiasm. Harry wasn't sure that was exactly the right tactic. He would want to hit someone who came over looking so happy when he was so miserable. If nothing else, Grace would at least make her mad and Harry figured his mother fussing at Grace was better than her being so sad because of him.

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His gran wanted to celebrate his joining the Order of the Phoenix but Neville wasn't much in the mood to celebrate. Augusta had cared for him most of his life and he loved her but she was one of the last people he wanted to deal with when he was feeling this way. He had completely forgotten about his offer to Harry about staying with them after the meeting. He had chosen to walk around for a bit to clear his head and, in the end decided, that the place he most wanted to visit was St. Mungo's.

He wasn't entirely sure why he wanted to be there. After all, visiting his parents is hardly a happy affair. He loved them dearly, which is why he visited as often as he did, but it was always hard. They never recognized him. Only when his mother gave him her candy wrappers did he feel anything close to real happiness around them. It was always bittersweet.

It wasn't as if they would be able to help him with his new problem.

He had a soul mate! Everyone did, apparently. It was just very strange thinking of his. Neville had known he was gay almost his whole life or, at least, had understood that something about him was very different before he even knew anything about sexuality. While homophobia was not as rampant as the prejudice involving blood purity, it was still a cause of problems to some people and not something Neville was ready to deal with at this point in life. Part of him had half hoped his soul mate was a female. Maybe then he could have worked through what he believed was a problem. But no! His soul mate ended up being Cedric Diggory, an incredibly handsome, very kind, loyal, and talented wizard three years older than Neville as well as being the first boy Neville had ever had a crush on! Cedric was too kind to be mean to him, Neville firmly believed that, but he had no idea how he would face telling the other wizard about all of this.

"…So Hermione told me all about the soul mate…finder thing? I really don't know what you'd call it," Neville was telling his parents. Maybe they didn't know him and maybe they didn't have a great hold on reality but he at least felt a little normal talking to them this way. They usually just let him talk without interruption. It was easy to forget they had problems when he did this. "Only Snape found a way for people to learn the name of their soul mate, you know? Weird that he, of all people, would be the one to do that. Anyway, Hermione told me all about soul mates, the Soul Bond, and how everything worked. When we were at the meeting, I just decided to go for it. Turns out my soul mate is…Well, the parchment at least said that my soul mate is Cedric Diggory! I dunno if you remember, but…Well, I've talked about him before," Neville finished lamely, blushing a bit. The one time he had told anyone of his crush on Cedric had been to his parents on one of the visits when Augusta was arguing with the healers and he was able to spend a few minutes alone with them. That was enough for Neville, who wasn't sure he would ever confess anything of his sexuality to anyone ever again.

"Eh…Ahem," someone cleared their throat.

Neville felt his heart freeze as he spun around, blue eyes growing impossibly wide at the sight of Cedric Diggory standing there wearing an uncomfortable smile, standing beside a grinning Gilderoy Lockhart. He had all sorts of pamphlets and flyers from various places around the hospital and was furiously scribbling over them before handing them to Cedric.

Dear. Sweet. Merlin.

Cedric? Of all people to walk in _right now_ it had to be the person he was talking about? Fate was cruel. Neville slowly turned back to face his parents. Frank was staring at the nearest wall with a look of concentration, reaching out to lightly scratch the wallpaper. Alice was reclining in her bed, grinning at the ceiling and barely concealing her laughter. Anything was better than facing Cedric. Hopefully the other wizard hadn't been standing there for too long.

"Here! Here, this one is for Marcia Kent! Remember that! I wouldn't want to disappoint that sweet young witch. Very lovely, isn't she?" Gilderoy was saying.

"Y…Yes, very," Cedric agreed easily.

"Ah! You there!" Gilderoy was calling out, marching over to Frank. "What is your name?"

"That's Frank, Gilderoy," Cedric said. Neville could hear the smile in his voice.

"Right, right!" Gilderoy said, scribbling his autograph on a pink pamphlet. Neville had seen it before. It was full of tips for how to become pregnant if you wanted to expand your family. Neville made himself smile at the antics he was well used to by now.

"Ahh…Neville?" Cedric asked. Neville could feel the other wizard approach him slowly.

"Uhh…Yeah?" Neville said, turning reluctantly to the other.

"I don't want to seem like I was eavesdropping, but…We couldn't help but overhear what you were talking to your parents about," Cedric explained with an apologetic smile. "Would you mind telling me about this…soul mate thing you were talking about?"

"Er…Why are you here anyway?" Neville blurted out. He hadn't seen Cedric around here before and didn't think he had been very close with Gilderoy Lockhart.

"Training," Cedric explained with a patient smile, holding out his arms to draw attention to the robes he was wearing. They were an awful pale orange-yellow color with the St. Mungo's logo in the lime green of healer's robes on the right sleeve. Neville then noticed Cedric's name embroidered in the material. "It's my third year in training. Only one or two years left."

"Oh, well, that's neat," Neville said.

"Yeah, I guess so," Cedric said with a smile. "You helped me a ton, you know? With studying for my NEWTs that year. Between that and the Tri-Wizard Tournament it was a tough year and I needed all the help I could get. You were only a fourth year then too, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Neville replied, ducking his head in embarrassment. "I was always really good with Herbology, I guess."

"You were. I told Professor Sprout you were helping me, you know. And she raved about you. Said you were the best Herbologist she had seen in years," Cedric replied.

"Did she?" Neville asked, unable to stop himself from smiling. He really did love Herbology. He was never very arrogant about his skills, though it always did please him to hear others praise his talent in the area. It was especially wonderful hearing from Professor Sprout herself how good he was since she was a very gifted witch in that area herself.

"Mhm," Cedric said. "Anyway, for my training, they want me in this ward for the next month or so, to get a feel of the different levels and such."

"Makes sense," Neville said.

The two fell into silence. Frank seemed annoyed by Gilderoy who turned his attentions to Alice. She took all of his autographs very graciously, and seemed not to notice how many she was receiving. Gilderoy even sneaked over to sign Frank's pillowcase before going off to hound another patient. Neville tried focusing on his parents but it was very hard to focus on anything but Cedric's nearness and thinking about the other's question.

"Snape invented a way of people finding their soul mates," Neville finally said.

"So I heard," Cedric said with a teasing smile. "I do agree that it is strange that _he_ would be the one to do it. Doesn't seem like him much to care about something like soul mates."

"Probably because of the Soul Bond. Do you know anything about that?" Neville asked.

"No, not really. What is it?" Cedric asked curiously.

"Hermione told me about it. Hermione Granger, that is," Neville said. "It's some bond only soul mates can do. It got kind of confusing but it's supposed to bind you to your soul mate in all sorts of ways. It's supposed to make you better, I think. Like with your magic…It's supposed to stabilize it or something. Not sure how that works. But you're also supposed to be able to…understand each other better or something? Very odd stuff, that. But I know of a handful of people doing it to become more powerful. Because of You Know Who and all. I'm sure that's why he did it. To be stronger."

"That makes more sense," Cedric said with a small laugh. Neville liked the sound of it a lot and was a bit embarrassed by the way his heart skipped a beat at the sound of it. He hadn't seen the bloke in almost three years! Shouldn't this stupid crush have gone away by now? "Are you sure he didn't rig it or anything? To screw with people?"

"I dunno," Neville said. "A few people did get odd results." He was tempted to tell him, but Neville wasn't about to gossip or anything. He didn't think Cedric would go around blabbing, but it still felt like some betrayal to go around spouting things that were no one's business without anyone's permission to do so.

"Well, There is a way to test if you are soul mates," Cedric said. "Not many people use it, because it's so rare people think it's useless these days to even try."

"Do you_ want_ to test it?" Neville asked incredulously.

Cedric shrugged. "Well I'm curious now, honestly. Would that be a problem?"

"N-no…Not at all," Neville replied, swallowing.

Fifteen minutes later, Neville stood in a nearby room with Cedric and newly instated healer Penelope Clearwater. The three stared in complete shock at the joined arms of Neville and Cedric, their bodies glowing in the distinctive silvery-purple color that signified soul mates. If they hadn't been, they would have still been glowing their own individual colors, Neville a pale orange and Cedric a bright aqua.

"I've never actually seen it work like that before," Penelope said in a quiet voice. Neville had heard from Ron a few days ago about how Penelope and Percy had broken up when they discovered they weren't soul mates. A year later, they had just recently decided to give their relationship another go. The witch shook her head and looked between the two wizards curiously. "So are you two…?"

"Together?" Neville all but squeaked. "Merlin, no!"

"Then why did you want to test it?" Penelope asked as Neville quickly pulled his arms away from Cedric's. "Not that there's anything wrong with it. Your sexual orientation is your business. I only don't understand why anyone would want to see if their soul mate was anyone but the person they were with."

"Umm," said Neville. He wasn't entirely sure he should go around telling everyone of Snape's accomplishment.

"Neville was telling me how he had been learning about soul mates for a paper he intends to write this year," Cedric replied, seeming to sense Neville's hesitance. "I thought it might be interesting if we saw how the charm worked. I don't think we really expected it to show those results."

"Right," Penelope said, seeming to accept this answer. "That is so…That's just amazing, I think," she said with a smile. "Not many people are so lucky. I do need to get back to my rounds but you should find me later, Cedric. This is very interesting and I would love to discuss it! You can bring Neville too, if you'd like."

"We'll see," Cedric replied with a small smile. Though he seemed mostly calm, Cedric could still see it in his bright grey eyes how stunned he still was. "I…er…I should probably get back to work, too. Would you…would you mind if I owl you sometime? So we can talk?"

"Yeah, sure," Neville said weakly, still trying to process all of this. It was one thing to see it on the parchment that Cedric was his soul mate, but having the confirmation now made it all the more real and surprising. At least Cedric was being a good sport about it all. He even wanted to talk to him! Neville blew out a breath when Cedric walked out.

Mind full of nothing but Cedric and the new situation, Neville eventually made his way home.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Harry and Hermione traveled silently to Godric's Hollow, avoiding his house and, instead, going to the local park then straight towards the playground area. Harry sat down on the edge of a merry-go-round and Hermione sat beside him, looping her arms through two of the bars. She looked at him in mild concern while Harry began to turn the merry-go-round back and forth with his feet pressed firmly in the dirt. She had been politely waiting upstairs in Grimmauld Place when Harry went to go find her. He had his suspicions that she had heard the fight play out and he wasn't sure if he really wanted to talk about it yet.

"Are you alright, Harry?" she asked quietly.

"No, I'm not," he replied stiffly.

"I know it was probably hard for you," Hermione said uncertainly. "But they are your parents. They aren't going to be happy about you putting your life at risk."

"I'm not asking them to be happy. I just don't want to be treated like a child," Harry said.

"I know," Hermione said with a sigh. "It's just…" She frowned when Harry shot her a glare, but only paused, momentarily, before continuing. "After all, you've been through, you and your family, you can't blame them too much for being more…paranoid, I suppose, about everything. I'm sure it must be frightening. Imagine how hard it is for us when people we care about are in danger. I can't imagine what it must be like for a parent. That's why _my_ parents haven't been told much of anything about all of this." She laughed quietly, though her dark brown eyes were wise and full of sympathy as she gazed at her best friend.

Harry sighed heavily. "Right," he said. Maybe they did have good reasons for being upset but he didn't have to enjoy it. He had nearly been killed when he was only one year old and his parents had been in a Death Eater prison for the following seven years. They had to spend the year following their escape in a mental ward while Grace had her memory completely wiped and re-wired per request of their parents to avoid her dealing with long-term issues. She had only been four or five at the time and it was easier to manipulate her memory that way. There had been therapy sessions after their release, dealing with the Dursleys and their poor treatment of Harry, then all of his adventure-filled years at Hogwarts. Harry couldn't picture what it all must be like for his parents and, honestly, wasn't sure he wanted to.

"I didn't want to talk about that though," Harry said, shaking his head. "There's something I need to tell you."

Hermione blinked in surprise. "Yes?"

"More of a warning, actually. Dumbledore wanted me to tell you," Harry said. He wished he could tell Hermione this _without_ revealing particular details. There was no real way around it. Hermione would ask questions and, really, Harry supposed it would be good to talk to someone about it. Hermione looked a bit alarmed and Harry took a deep breath before launching into the story. "Snape and I had sex after the bond…"

"You did _what_?" Hermione shrieked, slapping her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide enough that they reminded Harry of Dobby.

Harry blushed furiously as he continued. "…and Dumbledore thinks it's because we hate each other. We think the Soul Bond made us…shag because we don't get along well. The bond wants to make us close or something. He said he hopes it's a onetime thing but he still wants me and Snape to try to get along. I dunno, but…Well, since you and Malfoy are about as in love as Snape and me, the bond might try the same thing with you two. So if you do bond, you might want to have more people there. That might stop it. Maybe only people you really trust though, in case the audience doesn't put a stop to it. Like I wouldn't think badly of you and I could pull you off of Malfoy if you jump him or something." He couldn't help but grin teasingly at her and laughed quietly as Hermione's face burned bright pink.

"I would never!" Hermione exclaimed. "Leave that to your sister!"

"Oi! Let's not talk about my sister jumping anyone, let alone a Malfoy," Harry grumbled, kicking the dirt. "I reckon she fancies him sometimes."

"I doubt it's that," Hermione sighed. "She just thinks he's shaggable."

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, stretching his leg over to lightly kick her.

"Come on, Harry! Grace has a filthier mind than any boy _your_ age!" Hermione giggled.

"Agh! I do not need those sorts of thoughts, Mione!" Harry groaned. "Just say you'll be careful!"

"Alright, I'll be careful," Hermione said. Her teasing smile faded and she seemed hesitant when she spoke again. "So…You and Snape?"

"I really don't want to talk about it, Hermione," Harry said, sighing heavily.

Hermione pursed her lips, not sure she was willing to drop it. "It's just…a bit strange, isn't it?"

"Very," Harry replied stiffly. "But it won't happen again. It's not as if either of us is at fault. It's just something that happened."

"Hmmm…Alright," Hermione said, though Harry didn't think this was the end of the conversation. At least not for good. They were silent for a few moments while Harry looked all around the playground. When he turned back to Hermione, she looked to be fighting a grin.

Harry sighed. "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing," Hermione said with false innocence. "Just thinking."

"Nothing new there," Harry teased.

"Thinking about Grace and Malfoy," Hermione giggled.

"Mione!" Harry laughed. He jumped to his feet and glared at her mockingly. "You asked for it!"

Grabbing the nearest bars, he began running, laughing when he heard Hermione squeak and grab onto the bars more securely. He didn't feel as carefree as he might have liked. Too many things still weighed heavily in his mind. At least for now he could pretend while he spun the merry-go-round faster and faster with Hermione shouting profanities at him in a whimpering, pathetic voice. When it was spinning fast enough, he quickly jumped on, the shoe of his left foot slipping and nearly falling off, his knee hit the bar a bit too hard. He cringed in pain but righted himself and held on tightly for the ride. He hoped his mind would spin just as fast and scatter his worries away to far corners of his mind where they could stay for at least a few hours.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

When he heard banging on his door, Severus already knew he didn't want to answer it. After the display of the Potters at the meeting, he didn't doubt he'd be dealing with a mangy mutt and his filthy, beastly friends before long. Even with this in mind, he still felt some small bout of surprise at actually seeing Potter and Black standing outside of his door. Both looked furious, their eyes narrowed at him, wands out and clenched in tight fists. Severus calmly raised an eyebrow while everything else inside of him froze. It had been a long time since he had dealt with these two bullies alone. He was better now, he reminded himself. Stronger. He had been with the Dark Lord and suffered his wrath numerous times. Anything these two pulled out would be child's play.

"My, my, what a pleasant surprise," Severus drawled sarcastically.

"Stay away from my son, Snape. This is the only warning I'm going to give you," Potter spat.

"_I fucked your precious son, Potter,"_ Severus wanted to say. _"I fucked him into the carpet. Did you see the bruises? The rug burn? Did you see his blood or my semen trailing down his backside? Was he limping? That was all me, Potter, and I enjoyed every last second of deflowering the arrogant little snot. I daresay he enjoyed it just as much. He was very vocal. Begging me for more. You should have heard the little slut. You would have been very proud."_

"I desire…nothing less," Severus said, struggling to keep the preferred words to himself, more for the sake of not wanting Lily to know than anything else, "than to be in your insolent spawn's presence any more than I need to be."

"You don't have to like me, Snape, but you won't take it out on him!" Potter snarled. "He's done nothing to you! I don't want to hear one more nasty name for my _son_ come from your filthy mouth!"

"Don't touch one _hair_ on his _head_," Black added just as venomously.

"_I touched a lot more than just that,"_ Severus imagined himself saying.

"I assure you, nothing would disgust me more than to touch that little cretin," Severus assured them with a sneer.

"Why you little…" Potter began, raising his wand arm. Black reached out to hold him back, though he looked like he might want to pulverize Severus himself. "You know what? No. I won't. We aren't in school anymore."

"Trying to remind yourself of that fact, are you?" Severus said.

"Shut it, Snape," Black snapped.

"I don't know what game you're playing at but I don't trust you," Potter warned. "I never have and never will. Maybe I was a prat in school, but you? You were…_are_…a Death Eater! _You_ never let go of those old grudges. Because of things that happened _years_ ago, you treat _my children_ like shite! Maybe Lily doesn't want to see all of that, but I do. Harry might think he's ready for this but he doesn't know you, Snape. I do. I know what sort of resentful, malicious, self-serving bastard you are. I _will_ be keeping an eye on things. And if I even suspect you are doing _anything_ to my son you will be seeing me again. And you won't like it."

"You say that as if I enjoy this," Severus remarked sarcastically. He felt old anger well up at being referred to as a Death Eater but he had heard it enough to learn to control the more tempting responses to it. All he really wanted was for these two to leave. He was too exhausted to put up with a fight.

"He won't be alone, Snape," Black reminded him. He then grinned. "I don't think _Lily_ would like it very much."

How could anyone _like_ these pricks? Severus glowered at them, feeling a very uncomfortable, painful twisting in his stomach at the mention of Lily. He wasn't sure if it had more to do with the actual thought of her or the fact that she was a known weakness of his that really bothered him. "I believe you can thank her for being the reason those two arrogant, insufferable, talentless _brats_ are still alive."

With that, he slammed the door in their faces.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Author's Note: **So sorry for the wait! And especially sorry since I didn't update the Introduction or start the prequel as I said. I had hoped I would, but life got in the way I'm afraid. And not even in a good way *grumble grumble* Between being given extra hours at work and having to travel out of town for a funeral, there wasn't much time to get work done. I hope you can all forgive me and I will do my best to get more work done this week!

As for this chapter…It didn't quite go as I had planned…like in any way, shape, or form. I had hoped the family argument would have been more explosive, but Lily kind of went all mommy on me and yeah lol. Probably won't be the last of that fight…No one's really willing to be so accepting yet lol.

I did have something I want an opinion on: Arthur and Molly, soul matles or no? I actually had an interesting idea for a soul mate for Arthur but right now I'm sort of…not sure lol. As interesting as it is, I also love the idea of him and Molly as soul mates so I'm so torn! Opinions would be great…and who do _you_ think they should be with, if not each other?

Also…At 12 chapters and I have 113 reviews! That's so great! It makes me a very happy author lol! I'm so glad so many of you are enjoying the story and I hope you continue to do so!

So a big thanks to my reviewers: PureAsDrivenSnow, Tokugawa Blitzer, BluBy, xXxElectraxXx, Anniriel, Saintsational, monkeygirl66, Lady DestinyHope, ieatmyfeelings, MagicalWinry, Momoluvsu13, Linda, AlmondWithUnicornHair, vampy-chan17, JaneAlpha, Shadow Kitsune67!

I do apologize for not responding to many of the reviews like I used to…I'll try to respond in messages, if a reply is needed! I'm usually forgetful about these things the time I get the story back from my beta lol! Anyway, I love you guys so much so please review if you're reading! I love to hear from everyone!

Next up: Harry has a dream, Sirius and Remus interactions, and interrogation of the Malfoys!

Big thanks to Dani for being an awesome beta!


	14. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

* * *

><p>"And we're supposed to be questioning the Malfoys today or tomorrow."<p>

The sound of this stopped Grace in her tracks as she waltzed out of her room to get some cookies from the kitchen. Question the Malfoys? Grace slowly tip-toed closer to Harry's bedroom door to where she could hear Harry and Hermione talking.

"That's great. You really think it'll be alright?" Harry asked.

"You can never be too sure. I hardly think they've become kind-hearted, noble people but I do believe they're looking out for their own interests as well as thinking we might be their better option at the moment," Hermione explained.

"And you'll really…you know…bond with him?"

Hermione snorted. "Do not give me that look, Harry James Potter! You bonded with Snape."

"Yeah, well," Harry said uncomfortably. "I try not to think about it so much."

Things were quiet for a moment and Grace heard the sounds of the friends shuffling around. Figuring the conversation had ended, she went to move away but the sound of Hermione clearing her throat stopped her. A second later, Grace made to walk away again but Hermione actually spoke again.

"So…you and Snape really…You _really_ slept with him?"

Grace's eyes grew wide and she sucked in a loud gasp, immediately slapping her hands over her mouth. Her brother actually shagged Snape? Her heart thudded in the fear because she was scared being caught. That was followed by an aching in her lungs and ribs as she held back the urge to laugh. That was just silly! Strange, scary, and silly! It certainly couldn't be true, could it? She remembered Harry walking into the house yesterday limping and how she had made a comment about him getting laid. It did make sense, didn't it? The way he was walking and sitting so funnily? She was disturbed by a brief mental image of Snape bending her poor brother over a desk before squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head rapidly. No, no, no, no, no! Her brain did not need to conjure up that particularly disturbing picture! _Gross_! Snape was nasty and ugly and Harry was her brother! Bad, bad brain.

Harry groaned. "How many times are you going to ask that?"

"As many times as it takes for me to believe it," Hermione sighed. "I mean…_really_?"

"_Yes_," Harry sighed heavily.

"I just mean…It was hard enough to believe he's your soul mate but to think that the bond would actually make you pursue any sort of physical relationship with him…"

"It is not a 'physical relationship'. It was just a one-off, okay?" Harry grumbled. "Won't happen again."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked skeptically. "If the bond made you have intercourse because you dislike each other so much, what makes you think it won't keep doing so until you do get on better?"

"I really do not want to think about that," Harry groaned.

"Well you should think about it! He's still our professor, Harry," Hermione said. "If this is going to keep up…"

"It won't!" Harry interrupted. "Okay? If I have to make sure we are never together unsupervised just to make sure of it, I will."

"Alright," Hermione said.

"Alright as in you're okay now? Or alright as in you're going to bug me about this _again_ later?"

"Shut up, Harry," Hermione said, sounding amused.

"And this is the part of the conversation when we discuss your possible sex life with Malfoy Jr.," Harry said.

"There's nothing possible about it," Hermione groaned.

Sex with Draco Malfoy? Grace tried hard not to giggle. She wish she understood better what as going on but, knowing what she knew about Harry and Snape, Grace figured it couldn't be too hard to get the information out of her older brother. If not from an easier source, she thought, knowing that, as always, she would ask Fred and George first. Hopefully, they could visit them in Diagon Alley soon!

"You would have thought that about my situation, too, right?" Harry reminded her in a somewhat forced teasing tone.

"That's true," Hermione admitted. "Bu I'll have people there to…"

"Grace! Come clean up the mess you made in the living room!" Lily called from the bottom of the staircase.

Grace groaned, reluctantly and quietly, moving a little ways from Harry's door before calling back, "Coming, Mum!"

* * *

><p>Remus wasn't sure why he was feeling so guilty as he Flooed to Grimmauld Place. Being around Sirius these days made him feel strange but today was something else entirely. He definitely felt ashamed and guilty. It disturbed him more than anything else that had happened since finding out his best friend was his soul mate.<p>

He and Tonks had been casually dating for not even a month. Last night, they sat around Remus's flat, enjoyed a few drinks then ended the night in bed together. Maybe that was it. He did feel badly for having sex with her when he wasn't even completely sure of his feelings about her. Hell, it was wrong to even date her when he wasn't even sure of that much. Surely, it had nothing to do with Sirius because that just didn't make sense. They weren't together. That thought was laughable. He hadn't wronged _Sirius_ in his actions. They weren't married, no matter how much the Potter family liked to joke to the contrary.

"Sirius?" Remus called out, hating how nervous he felt. Ever since this damned soul mate business came about everything about their relationship had become strained. Wasn't the whole point of this to bring them closer? _It doesn't have to be anything romantic_, he reminded himself. They were the same words everyone liked to repeat a lot. Did they really need to convince themselves so much?

"Ah, Remus!" Sirius exclaimed, walking into the room with a forced smile, the same uncertainty flickering in his gray eyes. "How is little Miss Nymphadora treating you?"

Remus was tempted to remind Sirius that Tonks hated being called by her forename, as he well knew, but only shrugged. His mind flickered to the hazy images of last night. "Alright, I suppose."

"Good, good. Well, come in! Don't be a stranger," Sirius said, plopping down into an armchair and motioning towards the other uncomfortable, ancient furniture in the living room. "Drink?"

"No, thank you," Remus replied, sitting himself on the nearest couch. "I don't think we should be practicing magic _drunk_. Especially when we're trying to…test our abilities."

"True, very true," Sirius said, sitting up a bit straighter. Dumbledore had asked all of the bonded pairs to meet at least once a week to practice various aspects of their magic with one another. They would all present their findings at the next Order meeting, right before the new school term began. Other than the more complicated nature of their friendship as well as a very strange moment shared during the bonding, neither man had really noticed the bond having many effects. "So…"

"So," Remus said nervously. After a long pause, he cleared his throat then looked around the living room. "Err…Where do you think we should start?"

"I don't bloody know," Sirius grumbled. "Albus should have left us _something_. A guide to follow, suggestions…or show up."

"He's too busy for that," Remus said.

"Right," Sirius said, sitting up a bit straighter. "Well, then, I suppose we don't want to practice anything too dangerous."

"Yes. And I'm not sure how far we'd get practicing anything too simplistic," Remus agreed. He attempted to wrack his brain for some suitable option to start them on but the awkward silence that fell over the two old friends was suffocating and distracting. Sirius, too, seemed bothered while he lost himself in his own thoughts. Unable to stand it any longer, Remus coughed. "I, ah, heard you were being considered for the Defense position."

"What?" Sirius asked, blinking. "Oh, at Hogwarts…Yeah." Sirius laughed. "Albus thought it might be good to have more Order members at Hogwarts since Harry's so determined to get involved in things this year. There's no telling what he will do, so…The more the merrier, I guess."

"Well…That's good. I mean, you were always brilliant at Defense. When you applied yourself," Remus teased.

"I _never_ applied myself," Sirius scoffed. Remus laughed. "I do feel that this is just Albus's nice way of telling me he finds me useless otherwise."

"You're not useless," Remus assured him. "Maybe it's just his nice way of keeping you from being too reckless."

"There's no such thing as too reckless!" Sirius argued. "I'm just doing my part."

Remus just nodded, a sinking feeling in his stomach as silence fell over them again. "So…I guess we could try some things you'll have to teach your future students," Remus suggested finally, forcing a smile. "Nothing too dangerous would be in the Hogwarts curriculum and I do remember a few things I taught when I was there."

"Good. That sounds good," Sirius agreed, standing up. He seemed to be looking anywhere but directly at Remus. The werewolf sighed heavily and got to his feet as well. There would be time to mend their friendship later. Preferably, once he actually had an idea of how to go about doing that. Maybe he'd pay Lily a visit when he was done here.

"So what do you suggest, Professor Lupin?" Sirius asked teasingly. Things may not have been as easy between them as they had always been but Sirius at least was willing to pretend they were. It made Remus feel a bit easier about things.

"Today, my eager student, we will be practicing the…Patronus Charm," Remus said. The Patronus Charm was a bit difficult to learn, hard to execute in the conditions you actually needed it, and wouldn't cause too much of a mess in Grimmauld Place. Maybe, if they had an easier time producing it, that would tell them something. Or if they…Well, Remus wasn't entirely sure how much better either of them could produce a Patronus. His thoughts were interrupted when Sirius put on his innocent face and raised his hand. "Er…Yes, S—Mr. Black?"

"If it's a Patronus _Charm_, shouldn't I be learning this in _Charms_?" Sirius asked.

Remus glared mockingly at him. "Can you take nothing seriously, Mr. Black?"

"I'm Sirius about everything," Sirius joked. Remus couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Speaking of, I was considering giving myself a middle name…"

"Lee?"

"It isn't as fun if you don't let me say it," Sirius huffed, then smirked. "Yes, yes…Sirius Lee. That way everything will make more sense when I make jokes about you saying seriously. I would seriously be Sirius Lee!"

"You would think after twenty some-odd years, these jokes would be old," Remus said.

"Nah, they'll never be old," Sirius grinned.

Remus's stomach flip-flopped at the sight of that familiar grin. He took that as a good sign. _This_ was the way things should be like between them. Maybe it didn't mend things entirely but it was a step in the right direction. A very warm feeling flooded through him and, for a moment, Remus found himself distracted by Sirius, that wide grin of his and the mischief sparkling in those gray eyes. He was just glad that things seemed to be getting better. That was all.

"Ahem. Now, do I need to teach you how to produce a Patronus, Sirius Lee Black?" he asked. Sirius laughed at the sound of his could-be full name.

"Nah. I don't need anyone to help me handle my own wand," Sirius said with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

It wouldn't be the first time Sirius made inappropriate jokes. As often as Lily, James and their children teased them about being a couple, Sirius didn't mind playing along at times. What Remus wasn't used to was the way the whole room seemed to have warmed up by several degrees and the twisting in his stomach. He was just glad…Very glad that Sirius was back to his joking self. That he could still have fun around Remus.

"Are you sure?" Remus teased back to his horror. To be fair, he hadn't actually meant to say it and he despised how badly he could feel his face heating up. Sirius looked shocked only for a moment before grinning.

"Was that an offer?"

Remus coughed and pulled out his own wand. "We'll need a good memory in mind."

"Yes, we will. We could always make one," Sirius suggested with a delicious smirk.

Remus tore his eyes away from his best friend and raised his wand. "_Expecto Patronum_!"

Wisps of silver light flowed from the wand but faded into the air, never taking a corporeal shape. Remus frowned while Sirius's face morphed into a look of concern before he forced himself to smile again. "You sure you don't need help with a good memory, Moony?" he asked playfully.

"You'd think the bond would help make the Patronus better," Remus said, ears ringing slightly and choosing to ignore Sirius's comment, "not make my ability to cast one worse."

"Maybe you're not focused right. Or _you're_ the one who needs help learning to hold his wand," Sirius teased.

He laughed, though he was hardly amused. He didn't like not being able to produce a Patronus, considering it was a skill he was fairly confident with. He had taught it to Harry his third year! Teaching a thirteen year old such advanced magic had not been an easy task, thus Remus figured he was pretty adept at the ability. Now he rolled his wand in his hand, troubled.

"You try," he finally said to Sirius.

Sirius watched Remus in continued worry for a moment before pulling out his own wand to do as requested. "_Expecto Patronum_!" he whispered. Silvery light flowed from his wand, going further than Remus's had. It looked to start taking a shape but ended up dissipating before it could fully take the form of the dog it usually was. Sirius frowned and eyed his own wand as well.

"That could be a problem," Sirius said with a frown.

* * *

><p>Since Hermione was staying with the Potters for the remainder of the summer, the Malfoys and the interrogation team all agreed to meet at their home in Godric's Hollow. Lily wasn't too keen on letting Harry join the questioning, as she felt it would only encourage his ideas of going out to save the world, whereas James argued he had those ideas anyway and it would do him well to be part of things. In the end, Lily relented, seeing the error of her thinking and, instead, invited Ginny over to keep Grace distracted while the meeting took place.<p>

The Potter living room was crowded the time everyone had gathered. The three Malfoys sat on the couch, the youngest sitting between his parents, facing the scrutiny of the Order of the Phoenix. James had even remained dressed in his Auror robes in an attempt to look a bit more intimidating and authoritative. Hermione was there as Draco's soul mate. Severus Snape stood present as friends of the Malfoys and the brewer of their batch of Veritaserum. Three Aurors also stood among them: Mad-Eye Moody, per his own insistence, Kingsley Shackelbolt, and Nymphadora Tonks. The latter two were likely only present to help keep a handle on Moody.

"The wards are up?" Moody demanded.

"For the last time, yes," Lily said impatiently, glaring at the man. "I double, triple, and quadruple checked them. Promise."

"And this lot wasn't followed," he said, jerking his head in the direction of the Malfoys.

"I looked around the neighborhood and I didn't see anyone," Tonks offered.

"And you're sure?" Moody demanded.

"Positive," Tonks said.

"Hmph," muttered Moody, walking away to check all of the windows again.

"I don't know how you do it, James," Lily mumbled.

"What?" James asked with a grin, as though he already knew the answer.

"Put up with him on an almost daily basis," Lily whispered back, glaring at him. "I understand the need for precaution, but good Merlin."

"Everything looks to be in order," Moody grumbled as he walked back in, glaring at the Malfoys.

"Shall I give them the Veritaserum now?" Snape asked dryly.

"Not yet," Moody snapped. "First we need to check them."

"For what?" Harry asked.

"To make sure they haven't taken anything that will interfere with the Veritaserum, to be sure they aren't carrying an antidote. While we're at it, make sure they don't have any funny business going on," Moody instructed. He motioned wildly at the Malfoys. "Up. Stand up!"

Two pairs of silver eyes flashed furiously but Narcissa calmly reached over to put a hand on each of her men to force them to calm down. Reluctantly, the trio stood, looking unhappily prepared to do whatever was asked of them. Moody eagerly moved towards Lucius Malfoy, leaving Kingsley to take Draco and Tonks to take Narcissa. Everyone else in the room moved back to the opposite wall to give them room.

"There is _at least_ one Death Eater in this room," James whispered to his wife, looking pointedly at Lucius though his eyes flickered to Snape momentarily, "and somehow Moody still comes across as the most dangerous person here."

Having overheard the comment, Hermione and Harry both laughed along with Lily.

Lucius Malfoy stood as straight, unmoving, and beautiful as a statue, glaring at the opposite wall while Moody poked and prodded him. His face scrunched up now and then in discomfort as Moody cast spells checking for dark magic as well as any potions or poisons that might be in his system. The less he found, the more agitated Moody seemed to get and the more enthusiastic his searching was. Kingsley and Tonks shared nervous looks now and then but Moody never went too far in their eyes.

Tonks finished with Narcissa first, sending her aunt a somewhat apologetic look before stepping back and announcing, "She's clear."

"You found _nothing_?" Moody demanded incredulously.

"Nothing, sir," Tonks assured him.

Moody muttered intelligibly as he continued his own search by kneeling down and feeling along Lucius's leg.

"Looking a bit too friendly there, Moody," James muttered in amusement. Harry laughed, and Hermione seemed to be struggling not to while Lily just glared at him. "Shhh," she whispered.

"I heard that, Potter," Moody grunted. "I'd be damned grateful if I were you, making sure you don't get killed in your own house!"

"Ahem. Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," James said, though he didn't look or sound near apologetic enough. Moody resumed muttering under his breath while checking Lucius.

A minute later, Kingsley stepped back from Draco. "He's clear, Moody."

"That right?"

"Yes."

Everyone stood back and waited anxiously for Moody to finish his search. He continued muttering under his breath, magical eye spinning every which way, pulling random objects out of his robes to check for various things. The group began looking around at each other uncertainly. Only Moody kept his eyes on Lucius and Lucius kept his eyes on the wall, looking increasingly like he could blow up the house with just a look.

Finally, Moody stepped back from Lucius, still glaring at him suspiciously. "It all _looks_ alright," Moody relented. "Get 'em, Snape."

Snape offered the Auror a sarcastic bow as Moody joined his fellow Aurors then moved towards the Malfoys with a phial in his hand. The Malfoys sat back down on the couch, opening their mouths to take the three drops of Veritaserum. Snape even stepped to the side while he work and positioned his hand so that everyone could see each drop as it fell onto the waiting tongues. He would have no question as to whether or not they were being given the correct dosage and that he was not offering any sort of aid to them.

"Let me see that," Moody demanded when Snape had finished. Snape wordlessly offered up the phial. Moody had already checked it twice before the Malfoys arrived but his paranoia would let him leave nothing to chance. He took a moment looking it over and sniffing at it before seeming satisfied enough to give it back to Snape.

"So, you're seeking our protection?" Moody asked.

"Yes," Lucius and Draco replied.

"We only want our son to be safe," Narcissa replied, patting Draco's leg.

"What do you want him to be safe from?" Moody asked.

"The Dark Lord," Narcissa and Lucius replied.

"You don't want your son to join the Death Eaters?" Moody asked.

"No," both older Malfoys replied.

"What about you, Draco Malfoy? You don't wish to become a Death Eater?" Moody asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"He's crazy. He might kill me," Draco confessed, silver eyes wide in horror at what he was confessing. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I'm not a killer."

"And you trust us enough not to do the same?" Moody asked.

"Yes," the three replied.

"You trust people you barely know over people you've known your whole lives, huh? Some crowd that is," Moody muttered. "Draco, you will perform the Soul Bond with Hermione Granger in exchange for our protection?"

"Yes," he replied easily.

"Would you bond with Miss Granger even without the promise of protection?" Moody asked.

"I don't know. I would consider it," Draco confessed, looking desperately as though he didn't want to say as much.

"If we were to deny your offer, would turn to the Dark Lord to give him information that you have learned of us?" Moody asked.

"No," Draco and Narcissa replied.

"I don't know," Lucius said with a wince.

"Ahh. Of course not," Moody said darkly, a malicious glimmer in his eyes.

Kingsley cleared his throat. "Have any of you spoken with anyone about this meeting today?"

"Granger," Draco said immediately.

"Anyone else?"

"No."

"Did anyone follow you here?"

"No."

"Are you in possession of anything dangerous we did not find while searching you?"

"No," they all replied.

"If we don't offer you protection, will you take the Dark Mark?" Moody asked.

"Yes," Draco replied.

"Why?" asked Kingsley.

"I would have no choice."

"You couldn't refuse to take the Mark?"

"They would make me take it. It would be a choice between joining them or dying."

"You wouldn't try to find some other alternative?"

"There are no other alternatives," Draco said vehemently. "Even if I managed to escape, I wouldn't be able to hide for long. He's powerful."

"What makes you think he would want you dead that badly enough?" Moody asked.

"I…I don't know," Draco whispered.

"The Dark Lord would want to punish him for his refusal. He wouldn't want to be made a mockery of," Lucius said darkly.

"He would wish to punish us as well, by harming our son," Narcissa said, voice quivering.

"Draco Malfoy, would you be willing to make the Unbreakable Vow to assure that you will keep our secrets and not betray us should we allow this?" Moody asked.

Lucius and Narcissa gasped sharply, looking to their son in a panic. "No, Draco," Lucius hissed.

"I would if I knew I would be safe," Draco said quietly.

"What assurance could we ever have that you would protect my son?" Lucius snarled.

"That is a big thing to ask," Narcissa said, voice shaking. She still managed to sound offended through her emotions.

Hermione cleared her throat, staring straight at Draco as everyone else turned to look at her. "If Draco was to make the vow for our protection, I would be willing to take the Unbreakable Vow to promise to do everything in my power to assure his safety."

"Hermione?" Harry whispered.

"Are you sure you would be willing to do that?" James asked dubiously.

"I'm positive. They're right, you know. The Unbreakable Vow is a big thing, nothing to take lightly. If he would make the vow so that we could be sure he wouldn't betray us, I would be willing to make a promise to ensure his safety. Within reason, of course. I can't promise he would always be safe but I would promise to do all that I could to protect him. Yes."

"I don't know about that," Tonks said with a frown.

The three Malfoys stared at her in shock. "Y…You would do that?" Narcissa asked quietly.

"Of course she would. She's a Gryffindor," drawled Snape. Not much needed to be said, but, by the tone in his voice and knowing Snape, almost everyone could hear the unspoken insults. Self-sacrificing, unthinking, reckless, foolish, and many other things.

"He said surrounded by Gryffindors," Harry muttered under his breath.

Snape turned to glare at him while Hermione, James, Lily, and Kingsley laughed.

"I am well aware of the people in this room, Mr. Potter," Snape remarked.

"Ahem. Yes, I would be willing to do that," Hermione agreed.

"I'm not so sure that's a wise decision, Granger," Moody said. "You can't trust people like this. Not enough to risk your life."

"My life is mine to do with as I see fit," scoffed Hermione. "I would only make my vow after he made his. If he breaks his vow then he would die and there would be nothing I could do about it. If he doesn't, then there's no reason for me not to do what I can to help him."

"Foolish girl," Moody muttered.

"Is there anything else we want to ask the Malfoys?" Kingsley asked before anyone else could say anything.

"There is one more thing Dumbledore wished to have mentioned," Snape said. "If the Order of the Phoenix was to offer your family protection, would you be willing to turn your backs on the Dark Lord?"

"Yes," they replied immediately. Lucius seemed surprised by his own answer.

"Could you do that?" Narcissa asked quietly, hope glittering in her ice blue eyes.

"We can," Snape replied. "The headmaster would willingly provide a safe house to anyone willing to turn away from the Dark Lord. We would, of course, require proof of sincerity. He would make sure you wouldn't betray us. However, he's willing to give second chances to those who desire it."

"We should talk about this, Narcissa," Lucius whispered.

"What is there to talk about?" Narcissa demanded. "I will not have you risking your life just to appease a madman! I would do anything to save my son but I'd do just as much to ensure your life as well, my husband."

"It isn't as though you enjoy being in his ranks, Father," Draco reminded him.

"Of course," Lucius muttered. "Very well. What would we have to do?"

"I can take you to Dumbledore as soon as possible to make arrangements," Snape explained. "You would have to leave the manor, I'm afraid, and you'd have to pack quickly."

"That can be arranged," Narcissa said, reaching over to take her husband's hand.

"To be clear," Kingsley said. "You _will_ abandon the Dark Lord in exchange for protection?"

"Yes," the Malfoys agreed.

"Are you loyal to the Dark Lord at all?"

"No."

"I think that's good enough," Lily said, looking to the Aurors. "Isn't that right?"

"We can never be too sure," Moody mumbled, still looking at them suspiciously. "But I suppose it will have to do."

"Give them the antidote," Kingsley said.

"Wait!" Harry said suddenly. Everyone turned to him curiously as he leaned into Hermione and began whispering a bit. Her face turned pink and she giggled quietly before nodding her head. Harry then cleared his throat and stood up straight. "Ahem. Draco, how do you feel about Hermione?"

Remembering the same question being asked of Hermione about Draco, Narcissa laughed and even Lucius smirked in amusement. Draco blinked in surprise, pale cheeks turning slightly pink as he answered. "I don't know."

"Why don't you know?"

"With everything going on lately, I think my opinion of her has altered slightly," he replied, sounding annoyed.

"So what do you think of her?" Harry asked with a grin.

"You shouldn't be using Veritaserum to your advantage like this," Lily hissed, frowning in disapproval.

"C'mon, Lils, they don't look that upset," James muttered.

"I think she's…a good person. A little too extreme in that nature. She is foolishly brave and compassionate. I find her brilliant, but too pushy and arrogant in her knowledge. She is very talented in many respects and I find I…somewhat envy her skills," Draco confessed, eyes burning in anger and embarrassment.

"Hey, don't give me that. It was only fair after what you did to Hermione," Harry said, linking his arm through his best friend's. "Carry on."

Snape looked as though he would make a comment but shook his head and walked over to the Malfoys with the antidote in hand.

"What did they do to you, Hermione?" Tonks asked curiously.

"They had me take Veritaserum when we met a few days ago," Hermione replied. "At the end, Mrs. Malfoy asked me how I felt about Draco. I mentioned it to Harry and he thought it would be…only fair to return the favor."

"See? Told you it wasn't so bad," James told his wife with a grin.

"Yes, you did," Lily agreed, fighting a smile.

"So, boy, are we doing this Vow?" Moody asked.

The quiet chatter that had started quieted again at the sound of the Auror's voice. The expectant gazes flowed to Draco who paled, swallowed hard, and nodded. If this was what it took to ensure safety and freedom for not only himself but his parents as well, he was willing to do it.

"Is this _really_ necessary?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Yes," Moody said instantly.

"I will discuss it with the headmaster," Snape said quietly. "As he is the Order's leader, I'll leave that decision entirely to him."

"Of course," Moody grunted.

"Don't tell me you're chickening out, Granger?" Draco said as an attempt to bring back his pride by picking on Hermione.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Not quite. I was more concerned about pushing you into a potentially dangerous situation. If you would prefer, we can do it right now."

Draco flinched. "No. That's fine."

"Thought so," Hermione muttered, rolling her eyes.

"And you will be staying here the remainder of the summer, Miss Granger?" Snape asked.

"Umm…Maybe," Hermione said, turning to look at James and Lily.

"Yes, she'll be with us," Lily agreed with a smile.

Snape nodded. "You will be owled, then, if Professor Dumbledore wishes to go forth with the Unbreakable Vows."

"Alright. Thank you," Hermione said with a nod to her professor.

Snape then turned back to the Malfoys in a whispered conversation while the Aurors all gathered in their own group, eying the Malfoys uncertainly. James sighed and went to join his colleagues.

"Err…I may not be a big fan of the Malfoys but they _were_ given Veritaserum," Harry said in confusion.

"Yes, well, Moody won't trust anyone or anything, will he?" Hermione said with a sigh.

"Do you trust them?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. For the most part, I suppose. I at least trust that they believe they're being honest," Hermione replied. "Things can change, though. I won't assume they won't ever go back to their old ways…But…I don't know, Harry. I think it could be alright."

* * *

><p>The remainder of the day was relatively fun in the Potter household. Moody left not long after Snape and the Malfoys but Tonks and Kingsley hung around for another few hours, to the delight of the Potter family and their other guests. Tonks gave a spectacular recounting of an embarrassing incident that happened just a few days ago. The owner of a local bookshop believed there was a Death Eater lurking around, stealing from a section of Dark books. Tonks had been part of the group called in then had accidentally tripped and fell, knocking over bookshelves like dominos. The only person injured was the so-called 'Death Eater', who was merely a curious teenage boy who was renowned for his shoplifting adventures.<p>

"Not my most graceful moment but I got the bad guy at the end of the day, eh?" Tonks giggled.

"It might have been more impressive if it had actually been one of them," James teased.

James and Kingsley went on to pick about Tonks, telling tales of her most infamous clumsy moments in the office. The conversation eventually moved onto Tonks' relationship with Remus, inciting the poor Auror to be ganged up on by Lily and Grace who, jokingly, accused her of breaking up Sirius and Remus's 'marriage'. That led to the awkward conversation about bonds in which Tonks confessed to still be searching for her soul mate, trying to convince Kingsley to find his, asking what Ginny was going to do about Blaise, Grace teasing Harry about ending up with Snape, only to create tension where their parents were concerned, and everyone, teasingly, wishing Hermione luck on her 'upcoming nuptials to that blond git'. Ginny, Tonks, and Kingsley even stayed for a very loud dinner.

It was the best evening Harry had in a long time. It wasn't as stressful, or boring, as most of the summer had been so far, and not as bad as recent events. He had actually enjoyed himself without having to worry about anything. It was almost sad to wish them a goodnight, only Ginny leaving with promises to return soon to help Hermione deal with Draco. When they were gone, Lily and James left to follow Dumbledore's orders, practicing their magic together to test the bond.

"You'll have to do that with Professor Snape soon, won't you, Harry?" Hermione asked once Lily and James were out of earshot. After all she had overheard yesterday, Hermione wasn't about to mention Snape or the bond in front of them.

"If I have to, then I guess we will. I won't be bringing it up, though," Harry said. He rolled his eyes at the look Hermione gave him. "What do you want me to do, Mione? We bonded, it should be fine! Besides…" he glanced up at the curious Grace before stepping closer to whisper to her, "do you really think I need to be _alone_ with that git right now?"

"Oh, yeah," Hermione said, blushing.

"What are you two talking about?" Grace asked.

"Noth…" Harry and Hermione began together. Harry cut off with a hiss as a sharp pain flared through his head.

"…ing," Hermione finished, frowning in concern. "Harry?"

"Just…hurts," Harry grunted, reaching up to rub his scar. Hermione and Grace's eyes followed the movement.

"Is it Voldemort? Are you having a vision?" Hermione demanded.

"Should I get Mum and Dad?" Grace asked.

"N…" Harry began, but the pain flared up again and he groaned. His whole body began to tingle and throb, like the aftereffects of pain. There was a ringing in his ears that made it almost impossible to hear the worried tones of Hermione and Grace. His vision swam and the image of his living room seemed to be merging with something else. He felt like he was being pulled back and forth between two places, unable to fully see or hear either one of them. On one end, he heard concerned tones and angered voices on the other. One place was light and cozy while the other was dark and cold.

After a moment of confusion, things began making more sense.

"Where is Lucius Malfoy?" Voldemort hissed.

Everyone looked around but no one had an answer. They were standing in the living room of a large, lavish manor. Voldemort sat in a throne-like chair, red eyes slowly examining each of his Death Eaters as they shifted uncomfortably. "Yaxley?"

"I do not know, my lord."

"Goyle?"

"I don't know…my lord," Goyle said.

"_Severus_," Voldemort said slowly, a knowing glint in his red eyes. He expected Snape to have the answer.

"I do not know, my lord," Snape lied smoothly.

"Are you certain?" Voldemort asked quietly.

"I am positive," Snape said.

"Hmmm," Voldemort said, stroking his fingers along the scaly body of Nagini as she slithered across his lap. "I don't know if I should believe you. You are his closest friend, are you not?"

"Some might say that," Snape said.

"Wouldn't you?"

"I am not sure any of us could say we have many true friends, my lord. We are acquaintances, yes, of mutual value to one another. But friends? I hardly keep track of the man," Snape lied.

Harry could feel a push in his mind, not unlike the feeling Snape had given during Occlumency lessons his fifth year. He could feel a memory being pushed to the back of his mind, the images fuzzy to him. It was of earlier today with the Malfoys. The voices were muffled. It wasn't exactly the way Harry remembered it, but when Harry saw himself, he realized it wasn't exactly _his_ memory. How strange.

"Very well," Voldemort said, though he didn't sound completely convinced. "I did expect more from you, Severus. Perhaps Lucius considers you his friend, He will certainly dislike this. _Crucio_!"

Somehow, Harry knew this wasn't the first time tonight Snape had been put under the Cruciatus. The pain was blinding. Harry had the strangest feeling of being able to feel the pain Snape was in without _really_, physically, feeling it.

"I suppose that will be all for this evening," Voldemort said. "I expect better from all of you when we next convene. And if anyone sees Lucius Malfoy, bring him to me immediately. I have a feeling he won't be of use to us anymore."

The others snickered as they passed by Snape who pushed himself to his feet and shook as he stumbled towards the fireplace. It definitely wasn't the first taste of the Cruciatus Snape had that night. He felt sick and he could barely stand. He grasped onto the mantelpiece, pulling in deep breaths for a moment until a man behind him hurried him along. Snape got a hold of himself the best he could, struggling to keep himself steady and impassive as he grasped a handful of floo powder then stepped into the fireplace.

"Harry?"

Harry gasped and stumbled back, falling onto the couch. Where was he? Oh yes, the living room. Hermione and Grace looked terrified as they watched him. "What was it, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Sn…Snape," Harry muttered. "I have to go."

"What?" Hermione demanded.

"I need to go…see. Stay here. If Mum and Dad ask, I took a walk. Don't tell them. I'll explain later," Harry said. The horrible feeling disappeared and he felt fine now. He couldn't just sit around and do nothing. Snape was in bad shape and Harry wasn't sure he'd be able to take care of himself at all. Why it mattered, Harry wasn't all that sure but he did know that he had to go see him immediately. Harry jumped to his feet then walked quickly out of the door with Hermione and Grace on his tail.

"Harry, are you…?" Hermione began.

"I'll be back soon, Hermione!" Harry called back.

"Do you need condoms?" Grace asked.

"Shut up, Grace!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Another chapter! I dunno how I feel about it, but it was a necessary chapter lol. The next should be more interesting! And, I must happily say chapter 15 will be full of funness! I'm kind of excited for it!

Also, I created a FB page for my stories, which you can find under my penname, Danniperson. It's super useful if you want to see what I'm working on, where I am with certain things, and even help me figure things out…Like how I ask for opinions in author notes about soul mates and in the future when I'm looking for baby names or anything, really, you can help me out there when I desperately need opinions lol. It's also a great way for me to interact with you guys, which I would love, so if you want you can go on FB and find it under Danniperson or you can check out my profile for the link (hopefully it works lol).

Now onto reviews! I've been averaging about 10 reviews per chapter recently which I think is super amazing! Thank you so much for everyone who's taking the time to review! Tokugawa Blitzer, AlmondWithUnicornHair, xXxElectraxXx, Suma Akila, Lady DestinyHope, Scioneeris, vampy-chan17, Anniriel, Monkeygirl66, Nocturnal Rose, and Alex, you guys are awesome! I hope everyone keeps reviewing and keeps reading and such, and if you're reading and haven't reviewed yet, I strongly encourage you do so! I would love to hear back from everyone!

And to monkeygirl66: I'm sorry you were disappointed by the last chapter. I do agree with what you said about Hermione, but I just couldn't make it work. I think it was a case of information overload with so much happening and so much shock coming in that it was hard to really focus on much else that was brought up. As you can see from the beginning of the chapter, she has kind of started having it sink in lol. Anyway, I hope you aren't too disappointed by this chapter, but I do promise things start picking up soon and I hope you continue to read and review, even if you want to tell me you didn't like something lol! I appreciate the honesty and that you were so nice about it!

Big humungo thanks to my beta, Dani! She rocks.

Next chapter: Harry visits Severus, Draco spends quality time with Hermione and Ginny, and Remus decides to have a talk with Lily.


	15. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Severus groaned at the sound of incessant pounding on his door. Every hit against the wood seemed to also strike against his head as well. Loud, horrible pain shot through every inch of, not only his head, but all through his face and even down his neck. The migraine, at least, distracted somewhat from the tingling, burning feeling that possessed the rest of his body. The Dark Lord had truly outdone himself with his Cruciatus tonight. At least half of the Death Eaters had been cursed for disappointing him. It was a bit horrifying to think that Severus hadn't even gotten the worst of it. Johan Yaxley was well on his way to sharing a room with the Longbottoms the last Severus had seen of him.

Nothing was going according to the Dark Lord's plan. All of his spies, those in the Ministry and Severus in the Order, were punished. The Dark Lord wanted more information, power, more to be done but there wasn't much anyone could do now. He definitely wanted Dumbledore out of the picture this year but that plan seemed to be going nowhere. He had attempted to contact the Malfoys several times today to discuss said plan, only to be unable to find them. Malfoy Manor hardly had anything missing. They had been too smart to attempt to bring everything with them so the Dark Lord, at least, had some hopes of being able to find them soon.

Merlin, whoever was at the door was going to be hexed as soon as Severus could convince his body to move. The most he had done upon stumbling out of his floo was to drag himself into his bedroom to flop down on his bed. He only managed to dig through his bedside drawer for a minute in search of a pain-relieving potion, recently created by him and designed specifically for the after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse, before giving up. His arm trembled too much and the sharp pain in his head was slowly setting his body aflame. The pain itself didn't deter him from moving but the more he did, the harder it was for him to focus on his actions. His mind felt muddled. Every time he tried willing himself to do something, it never quite went as planned; anywhere from trying to sit up and rolling over instead to attempting to reach over to put out the light and kicking his leg instead.

If he could get some peace and quiet, he was sure he could calm himself down enough to sort through this mess. Unfortunately, his unwelcome visitor was determined. It was several minutes before the pounding stopped and Severus felt some of the tension leave his body when he was sure the noise wouldn't return. It only took a few minutes of this for the scorching pain to fade into a sore throbbing but it was easier now. He might even risk trying to find his potion again if he didn't pass out first.

When he heard the loud bang from the front of his house, Severus's first instinct was to jump up. "Agh!" he cried out in pain, hips jerking high into the air while his arms flew upwards and falling back down to cover his face. Holy hell! His heart raced so fast in his chest it was painful, though that was hardly the worst of his injuries to be flaring up. The burning wasn't as bad as it had been and the whole ordeal was considerably less harmful than actually being under the curse. It wasn't long before he got his wits back and was able to question what in Merlin's name had happened. By that time a strange figure appeared in his open doorway and he cracked his eyes open to glare at the figure. He couldn't make sense of what he was seeing at first until the boy came beside him.

"Snape! Are you alright?" Potter asked.

"The bloody…What are you…Potter…" Severus muttered, wishing he could think clearly enough to form a somewhat commanding and intimidating statement that would have the child flying from the house.

"Do you need help?"

"No…Agh! Potion…the potion," Severus mumbled. He wasn't sure why he was telling Potter he needed the potion. What he needed was for Potter to go.

"What potion?" Potter asked, spinning around and looking about wildly, as though it might be hovering in midair for him to snatch.

"The potion," Severus repeated. "Potion." If he couldn't tell the boy to leave, why on earth couldn't he tell him where the potion was?

"Yes, I know…What potion?" Potter asked, frowning and looking around more slowly. "Is it…err…here? I don't have to make it, do I? I'm shite at potions, remember?"

"Forget," Severus muttered. No, he hadn't forgotten. It was supposed to be _"How could I forget?"_ He had never reacted this badly to the curse, damn it! "Potion." Bugger. Potter already bloody knew he needed the potion! If only he could get his mouth to agree with everything going through his head. "Potter."

"Yes, it's me," the boy said patiently. He apparently gave up on waiting for an answer from Severus and began rummaging through the shelves of the bookcase across the room. Aside from books, there were random other items, such as decorative figures Lily had bought him over the years, a plaque he had found in the attic on Spinner's End of the Prince family crest, and a beautiful wooden box Lily got for him on his thirtieth birthday. He often filled that with his favorite candies that he indulged in only now and then.

"No. Potion. Agh. Open," Severus said. There, that was getting better.

"Open?" Potter repeated as he moved. Seeing nothing on the shelves he abandoned that search and turned to Severus's closet.

Idiot boy. The drawer! His bedside table. Goddamn it, why was Potter looking through his things? "D-drawer," he managed to croak out, feeling as though his brain might literally explode if he put any more effort into this communication.

"Drawer?" Potter mumbled and stared into the closet confusedly for a moment before glancing around the room. Finally, spotting the bedside table, his eyes lit up in realization and he walked quickly towards it, yanking open the top drawer. Severus cringed at the sound of it, of the glass phials clicking together and rattling around.

"Care…" he mumbled. Careful. Be careful, you twit!

"Umm…Which one is it?" Potter asked, eyes wide. The drawer was full of various potions he often found himself in need of. The largest grouping seemed to be the numerous hangover potions and the pain relievers, which were often most useful to keep at his bedside. Others included nausea-relief, sleep aids, a few poisons, just in case,, and various lubricants.

"Potion," he managed to say clearly, though that wasn't what he wanted to say at all. What was it? He scrunched his eyebrows together and pictured the correct phial in his head. "Blue…blue cher…"

"Chair?" Potter asked, raising an eyebrow. "Blue _chair_?"

"Cherry," Severus managed to force out.

"Blue cherry?" Potter repeated, finding this no more useful than a blue chair. He looked back into the drawer. There were a few blue potions in there, Severus well knowing that two of them were poisons.

"No," Severus said, though that wasn't what Severus _meant_ at all. "Ugh."

"No?" Potter asked, beginning to sound frustrated.

Severus wanted to glare at him. Instead, he kept his eyes closed and grunted. "Smell."

"Oh! Okay," Potter replied then, dutifully, began plucking out the blue phials, opening them and carefully sniffing them. Severus was tempted to chuckle at the few times Potter made gagging noises but a strange sort of sigh escaped him instead.

"This…I think this is it," Potter said. Severus groaned and removed his arms from his head and reluctantly opened his eyes. His vision didn't seem to want to focus anywhere for several seconds, but he finally managed to stare at the phial of a silvery blue liquid.

"Mhm," he grunted, attempting to sit up.

"Here, I got it," Potter said. The boy sat down beside Severus on the bed and scooted closer, putting his arm under Severus and holding his neck up slightly while he placed the phial to Severus's lips. When had he opened it? No matter, he was at least getting the potion now. He wasn't quite sure he liked being held and fed the potion like a child but there wasn't much else he could do for the time being. At least his throat muscles were working well enough to swallow the potion easily enough, only a small bit dribbling out of the side of his mouth. Despite smelling like cherries, the potion tasted like some unpleasantly strange combination of oranges and chocolate. It was better tasting than most potions at least.

"There," Potter said quietly, gently lowering him back onto the bed, pulling the sleeve of his shirt over his hand to wipe the bit of potion that slid down Severus's neck. "There anything else you need?"

Severus only waved his hand at the boy to get him to leave him. Potter shifted slightly away but remained on the bed, watching him in mild concern. His constant twitching was annoying but, for the first few minutes, Severus hardly noticed it. He merely lay there with his eyes closed, keeping as still as possible while he breathed in and out deeply. The pain started to ebb slowly, but surely, and, after five minutes, it was down to a somewhat bearable ache. His thoughts were certainly clearer now. Severus frowned, determined to lay here as long as possible but the incessant moving of Potter's was going to drive him mad.

"What in Merlin's name possessed you to break into my home, Potter?" Severus snapped groggily, glowering at the boy as he sat up in bed. "I do hope you aren't stupid enough to think you could get away with stealing from me or playing any of your childish pranks. Then again, looking at who your father is. There isn't a doubt in my mind that you must be severely brain damaged."

Potter glared back, anger sparking in those emerald orbs, replacing any worry that once resided there. "You know, I wonder if you really hate my dad because he bullied you. Maybe it has more to do with the fact that you're in love with my mum."

Severus's blood seemed to run cold. All of the color drained from his face. For several long seconds all he could do was stare at the defiant young wizard. "_What_ did you just say to me, boy?"

Potter cringed at that and shifted uncomfortably. He certainly didn't like being called 'boy', something Severus attributed to the fact that his abusive relatives would only refer to him that way when he was younger. Severus had had the displeasure of viewing the boy's worst memories in those disastrous Occlumency lessons the boy's fifth year. If Potter was willing to throw Lily in his face, Severus didn't mind playing dirty.

"You heard me," Potter growled. "Everyone would say it but I didn't think a greasy, sadistic, evil bastard such as yourself could love anyone. But I do always notice how quick you are to insult my dad but you never say one rotten thing about my mum. Then I started paying attention to how you look at her. You're friends, right? I always wondered how _you_ could have any friends, you git. I wondered why on earth she would have anything to do with you. But you aren't so mean to her, are you? If you love her."

"Shut _up_," Severus growled, quickly darting across the bed. Potter moved immediately and backed up to the nearest wall as Severus gracelessly jumped out of bed and advanced on him. "My relationship to your mother is none of your business. In fact, _no_ part of my life is any of your business at all. Now _leave_."

"Why did I even fucking bother coming here?" Potter muttered. "Should have just left you to rot in your bloody bed."

The boy shoved past Severus and stormed out of the room. Severus glared after the boy then followed him, grabbing his arm when he was only a few feet away from the room. "Why _did_ you even bother then, Potter? Please enlighten me."

Potter yanked his arm from Severus's grasp. "Because I saw you, you git!"

Severus quirked an eyebrow. "You saw me…?"

"I had a vision!" Potter snapped. "Not even the usual ones about Voldemort! I saw the meeting and I saw how horrible you looked when you got home!"

That put a stop to Severus's anger which, instead, slowly melted in confusion. It felt as though a large chunk of ice had dropped into his stomach then the fear he felt assured him that something inside of him knew what that meant and he didn't like it. "You saw _me_ when I got home?"

"Yes!" Potter said, exasperated. "I don't understand it. I usually see things from his perspective or if it's just about him. But at the end, there was no Voldemort. Just you. I was _thinking_ it could be because of the bond. You know? If we shared some sort of connection like I do with Voldemort now…"

"Don't say his name," Severus hissed, realizing the boy had been throwing the name about quite carelessly these past few minutes.

"I didn't even think of that until I got here," Potter said, his own irritation finally fading somewhat. "Look, I was just worried when I saw you and I know you live alone so I thought I might try to help."

"Don't presume I need your help," Severus snarled. This news was quite disturbing. He would have to bring it up to Dumbledore the next meeting. For now, he was much more concerned with antagonizing Potter for a bit before kicking him out.

"You need help alright," Potter muttered sarcastically.

"What exactly are you implying, Potter?"

"That you could use a little _help_ in acting less like an arse for absolutely no reason! You could say, 'Thank you, Mr. Potter, for not letting me wallow around in agony all night.' Instead you jump all over me and act like an ungrateful git!"

"Tsk, tsk, you'll need to expand your vocabulary beyond 'git' and 'bastard.' I'm finding that the continuous usage of the word makes them less effective."

"As if anything effects you. Wouldn't you have to have a heart to care?"

"As if I haven't heard all of the heartless jokes before. Try again."

"You must have heard it all before. If enough people call you a greasy arsehole and every other name in the book, you'd think you'd start realizing they weren't insults at all, only the truth."

"Whether it's the truth or not, I would hope those of your age to have more clever ammunition then just that. I see more and more of you dunderheads every year."

"What about Death Eater, then, hm? Does everyone know how you kiss Voldemort's arse on a daily basis?"

Severus wanted to strangle the boy.

"The correct terminology is _spy_. You should well know the truth by now, _boy_. You're just pulling things out of your arse now. It hardly hurts my feelings because I know the difference between the things I've done in the past and what I am doing _presently_ to save your pathetic hide."

"Past? It'll never be in the past, Snape! You'll always have that Dark Mark on your arm just like you'll always be a _pathetic_, ungrateful, sadistic, hideous, sarcastic _bully_! You are a…a power-hungry _slave_ who is all too willing to bend over for two masters because you don't want to risk being on the losing side. You are a _coward_! What's worse…"

Anger unlike anything he had ever felt before bubbled over. Without thinking of the consequences, without truly knowing what he was doing at all, Severus whipped out his wand and hissed a powerful Stinging Hex in Potter's direction. The boy howled in pain and stumbled to the side, clinging to the wall to keep himself upright. There was an angry red mark on his collarbone where the spell had hit.

"As much as I enjoy listening to you spout your juvenile views, I hardly think it fair I'm the only one with such an honor," Severus growled, still jabbing his wand in Potter's direction. Potter flinched but forced himself to stand up straight, looking Severus dead in the eye. "You are the most dismal excuse for a wizard I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. I'm sure you've heard all of the praise, haven't you? Everyone thinks you're _so_ special…_gifted_, they say. They think you're powerful. I, for one, cannot fathom how any of those idiots is placing all of their faith in _you_. The weight of the world on _your_ shoulders. Ha!" Severus sneered and slowly approached the boy, causing him to eye Severus warily then back away, sliding across the wall and down the hall, trying to avoid him. Unfortunately, for Potter, Severus approached him in a way that made nearing the exit impossible and was instead being backed towards Severus's bedroom again. "How many people have you watched die, Potter? Hmm? How many have you killed? How many have you harmed beyond repair? What darkness has found its way into your pretty little world of rainbows and butterflies? A great Seeker you may be but what else are you? You are no warrior. You are a foolhardy Gryffindor whose bravery is not admirable, but rather dangerous to not only _you_, but everyone _around_ you! How many of your so-called loved ones have nearly been killed because of your reckless schemes? How many will actually face their doom _for you_ by the end of this war? You would do well to remember, Potter, that you are the Boy-Who-Lived, not because of any great skill but out of pure luck. It is that same luck that has kept you alive for seventeen years. But even your luck will one day run out. And how many people are going to end up killed when it does? What real hope does this world have if you are its hero? Because when I look at you, I don't see our savior. I see the scrawny, pathetic excuse for a little _boy_ who could never do anything right…who couldn't even defend himself against _Muggles_…let alone powerful Dark Wizards more than four times his age."

Potter's face was bright red by the time Severus was done. He opened his mouth to speak but, as he continued to back away, the boy tripped and fell right on his arse. He scowled up at Severus, green eyes filled with tears. Severus wasn't sure if they were angry or hurt tears. Maybe they were both, he thought with delight. He sneered down at the little _boy_ and raised his eyebrows challengingly.

The younger wizard just sputtered for a moment as he scrambled to his feet. "You…you great…_prick_!" the boy stammered.

Severus chuckled darkly, moving upon Potter again. Potter backed up right into Severus's room. Black eyes darted to his bedside table as he thought of all of the poisons that resided there that he would very much like to force-feed, phial and all, down Potter's throat. Adrenaline pumped hard through him. This was exciting. He could very well imagine pounding Potter's head into the wall and sending him back to his parents in a bloodied ball. The brat deserved nothing less right now. The way he spoke to Severus! As though he _knew_ something about the older man. As if he could dare stand up to someone so much older, smarter, and more skilled than he. Potter was going to regret ever opening his smart mouth. The boy got away with far too much and could use some harsh discipline.

"Yes, you rather like my _great prick_, don't you, Potter?" Severus drawled, eyes glittering wickedly. He was pleased the way those emerald eyes grew wide in embarrassment and shock. Severus chuckled darkly. "My little slut."

"Don't call me that!" Potter snapped, a slight tremor in his voice.

"And why not?" Severus purred, a malicious glimmer in his dark eyes. He stepped ever closer to Potter, hoping to rile him up some more. Potter had come here to invade his home, thinking he had the right to just barge in and do as he wished. Vision or not, it was unacceptable. As a teacher, he couldn't very well attack students in any violent or harsh manner but they were not teacher and student right now. He was a man dealing with someone who had broken into his house. A little brat who had made his life hell for years. He was going to enjoy making him suffer by being crueler than he had been in years. "Don't you remember how wantonly you moaned for me that night, boy?"

"I-if I'm a boy, what does that make you?" Potter spat.

Ah, and now the pedophile remarks begin.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone enjoy having a cock up their arse as much as you did, whore," Severus said.

"How many other children have you touched, you sick…you rapist?" Harry snapped.

The heat was blinding. The need, the energy, everything was so intense. As Severus stepped closer to Potter, they were both sure the boy was going home in several different boxes. Instead of hurling the most excruciating curse at the young hero or wrapping his hands around that pale neck, Severus gripped Potter by his unruly hair and brought his mouth down to those soft lips, parted in what must have been meant to be more angry shouts. Potter didn't even fight back. Surprisingly strong hands gripped Severus's greasy locks and those lips moved against his eagerly.

Hands that should have been yanking out skin and hair instead pulled apart clothes then tossed them to the floor. They stumbled gracelessly across the room as they refused to part mouths, refused to stop touching more than they needed to, in the removal of restrictive materials. If either had any rational thought left, they might have been surprised to realize just how aroused they were when they had been seething in fury only minutes before.

It was magnetism. Some powerful force beyond their control was pulling them together. It would be painful, if it was at all possible, to tear them away from each other now. Potter's mouth tasted like oranges and some pleasant taste beneath that which was so very Harry Potter. Within minutes, the taste of blood joined the flavor as Severus's teeth pulled a bit too roughly at Potter's lower lip. Pained tears filled Potter's eyes and Severus licked it away with his bloody tongue before it plundered Potter's mouth again.

His hands moved everywhere, eagerly exploring every bit of the young, muscular body he could reach. There was nothing better than the feel of a hard, smooth, hairless chest beneath his hands, brushing over pebbled nipples as his hands drew all along the front of his body. Nothing was better, except, maybe, feeling up those Quidditch toned legs or gripping that firm arse to pull the young body closer. He felt the young wizard's hardness, hot and eager against his thigh while his own was trapped against Potter's stomach between their bodies. As he moved his mouth down to taste the boy's neck, he undulated his hips and pulled Potter against him, providing nice movement and friction for them both.

Foreplay was too much to handle. He needed to be with him. He needed it the way he needed food, water, and oxygen. It had been days since their first time and Severus felt severely deprived. How had he not done this before? Even worse, how had he not continued nonstop since they started, since he realized how utterly delicious his soul mate was?

"Need…now," Potter gasped as Severus sucked at his neck. He could tell the other enjoyed the attention to that area a great deal the way he moved and moaned in response, his fingers tightening on Severus's sides.

"Yes," Severus said breathlessly. He immediately dragged Potter towards the nearest piece of furniture which, instead of the bed, ended up being one of the chairs that sat near his bookcase. He sat down and yanked Potter into his lap

It was late morning when Draco Malfoy decided to pay his godfather a visit. Between Lucius's bad mood and Narcissa's need to decorate their new house, Draco needed an escape. It wasn't as though he could risk leaving the village until school started and he knew he couldn't leave his property very often. He at least knew he'd be safe with Severus. The man hadn't responded to his firecall but his father made clear that the Dark Lord had summoned them last night. Perhaps Severus needed a day to recover and, maybe, Draco could offer his aid.

He walked instead to the shabby house in Godric's Hollow, one hand gripping the wand in his robes, his silvery gray eyes doing their best to take in everything as he walked. He regretted leaving his house by the end of the trip but he was too close to Severus's to turn back now. He could always Apparate back home if anything strange happened. He would be fine, he assured himself. The Dark Lord wouldn't know where to find them. Why should he even care where the Malfoys had gone? He would care, Draco knew, but he tried not to think about that. Every person he saw passing on the streets got a second look. No one paid him much attention so, by the time he finally saw Severus's home up ahead, he relaxed and walked forward confidently.

To his surprise, there were already two very familiar people standing at the front door. There was no mistaking those thick, brown curls or that long, fiery red mane. Draco sighed heavily, slowed down, and did his best not to bring any attention to himself as he walked up behind them. Granger made an exasperated sound as she raised her fist to knock loudly on the door. "Hello? Professor Snape?" It must not have been the first time she had knocked. What were they even _doing_ here?

"Are you sure Harry's here, Hermione?" Weaslette asked.

"Yes! This is where he came last night and he hasn't come home yet," Granger replied.

"Maybe Snape killed him and chopped him up for potions ingredients," Weasley muttered.

Draco rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to scoff at the comment. His amusement at their words quickly faded into confusion when he fully registered what had been said. What was Potter doing at Severus's house?

"That's not funny!" Granger hissed.

"You didn't hear me laughing, did you?" the red head snapped. "What if he left here and went somewhere else?"

"We should at least make sure," Mudblood argued, raising her fist to knock again.

"Well, isn't this a nice surprise," Draco drawled, finally through being invisible. He smirked and quirked his eyebrows when both girls spun around to gape at him.

"What are you doing here, ferret face?" Weasley demanded.

"I am visiting my godfather, thank you very much," Draco replied. "The better question would be what are _you_ doing here? The last I checked it would be highly inappropriate for two female students to be visiting their male professor's home unsupervised."

"We're just…It's none of your business," Weasley said. "C'mon, Hermione, I don't think he's going to answer."

At that moment, the door flung open. The three outside of the house all jumped in surprise, though Draco would deny doing anything of the sort. Potter staggered out of the door, face twisted up in pain. The way he wobbled around looked as though he had been savagely attacked, only the lack of visible injuries making that an unlikely theory. It took the muttering wizard a moment to realize he was not alone. His face immediately burned bright red while his green eyes widened in shock. Severus appeared only seconds later, thrusting a phial of some reddish orange potion into his hands. "Now stop your whinging," Severus snapped.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Weasley asked in a panic.

"Err…yeah," Potter mumbled, fumbling with opening the phial and downing its contents.

"All of you, leave," Severus barked. "I have work to do." Potter managed to step away just in time for the door to slam shut behind him. Granger was a bit pink as she cleared her throat and looked away from Potter. Draco raised an eyebrow in interest.

"You look horrible," the red head remarked.

"Just need to go home. Have fun," Potter said, immediately limping off.

"Hermione, what…?"

"He's…He'll be fine," Granger sighed.

"Don't tell me they were fighting," Draco snorted. "I always knew Potter couldn't stand against a Slytherin."

"He's sure made a fool of you plenty of times," the Weasley girl said coldly.

"At least we know where he is now. And that he's fine," Granger said.

"He didn't look very fine to me," Weasley muttered.

"Speaking of," Granger said, clearing her throat. She then glanced behind her and then up and down the street. "Let's go to the park or something. You, too, Malfoy."

Draco glanced, uncertainly, at his godfather's house. Severus didn't seem in any sort of mood to deal with people but he rarely did. Draco still intended to waltz right up to let himself in once the girls had left. But whatever the Mudblood wanted with him left him curious. Part of him was a tad bit concerned about just going anywhere with these Gryffindors, who could hardly offer him any protection, what with his new status as traitor to the Dark Lord. Or at least son of a traitor. He could hardly be counted a traitor when he hadn't even joined the Death Eaters yet, could he?

"It's important, really," Granger said earnestly. Weasley didn't look too happy about it but the red head didn't raise any objections. Slowly Draco nodded and followed the girls across the street, down a long sidewalk, and around a corner. It was a five minute walk to a beautiful, spacious park with a playground area. To his horror, that was the area Granger was headed in.

"How old are we, exactly?" Draco asked as Granger sat down in a swing.

"Shut it," Granger said with more exasperation than anger.

"What's going on?" Weasley asked, eying Draco warily before sitting in the swing beside Granger. They didn't even swing! They just sort of sat there, arms looped around the chains.

"I need to tell you both something, since it could very well concern you both before long," Granger said. "But, first, I need promises that this will be kept a secret. Even more importantly, I need Malfoy…_Draco_ to swear he won't use this information against anyone."

"Draco?" he repeated, wondering why on earth the Mudblood was using his given name. Who had given her permission to do so?

"We're going to be bonded soon, we might as well act familiar," Granger said. "You could call me Hermione, you know."

"Why would I do that?" Draco demanded.

"I only assumed it was fair since I'll now be calling you by _your_ name," Granger scoffed. "Like I said, I'm only attempting to be civil. We're going to have to get along, somewhat, to make this bond work."

"I don't think that's it. He probably just has a hard time saying your name, Hermione. As long and lovely as it is, it's a bit complicated for a ferret to go around saying," Weasley said.

"Ginny," Granger said.

"Of course. Why don't I start calling you by _your_ name, _Ginevra_?" Draco asked with a smirk.

Weasley glared at him. "Don't call me that! How do you even know that's my name?"

"I did not bring you both here to argue about names!" Granger, or rather Hermione, snapped. "Unless neither of you is particularly curious about what is going on with Harry and Snape."

Draco hated being quiet when he would have much rather said something just to make a statement. He was not one to be bossed around by a Mudblood! But she was right. He did want to know about Potter and Severus, even _Ginevra_ seemed to be in agreement.

"So, do you promise?" Hermione asked.

"Promise? Oh, right, I promise," Ginevra replied.

Draco sighed dramatically. "Alright, I promise."

Hermione nodded, looking only slightly relieved. "Okay, so…I'm only telling you both since we're all in a situation where we don't particularly care for our soul mates…"

"You don't care? And here we were, getting along so well. Even calling each other by our first names, Hermione," Draco said.

Hermione glared at him. Draco sighed again. "Right. Continue."

"_As_ I was saying," Hermione said. "Harry and Snape don't get along, either, so that's why we think this happened…"

"What happened?" Ginevra asked.

"They slept together," Hermione whispered.

The silence was long. For several long seconds, all Draco could do was just stare at Hermione, the words beating their way into his head as though they weren't quite sticking there the first time. Potter and Severus _slept_ together? As in sex? Or just sleeping? Either was a very strange thought to have. It didn't make sense! Why would they sleep together? Draco blinked and looked from Hermione's face to the shock in Weasel… No, Ginevra's.

"They did…_what_?" Ginevra finally sputtered.

"They _shagged_?" Draco asked.

"Mhm," Hermione said, looking uncomfortable. "The bond sort of…_made_ them, I think. It was right after they bonded and Dumbledore left them. They were alone in Snape's house and sort of…I don't know, but they definitely did things."

"No wonder Potter was walking so strangely," Draco said with a smirk, recalling how the other wizard had limped away from them. And how much pain he seemed to be in. "Severus either has a big you-know-what, was incredibly rough with him, or both."

Hermione cleared her throat. "Yes, well…Remember you promised not to mention anything."

Damn it. Draco didn't think promises needed to mean so much but, considering the position he was in these days, he didn't think he had much of a choice. No need to upset his soul mate or the other people around here who were helping out his family and him. Draco frowned and nodded.

"The bond made them have sex?" Ginevra repeated.

"Yes," Hermione said. "The way Harry described things, it was like…out of his control. All he knew was that he wanted and needed to…well…shag Snape. It was the same for Snape. We had hoped it was just that one time because it was right after they bonded but, the way he was at the house…Well, I suppose they must have done it again."

"Gross," Ginevra muttered. "Poor Harry."

"Poor Severus," Draco said.

"Poor us if we can't find a way around it," Hermione said. "The fact is, they discussed it with Dumbledore. The headmaster thinks that because of the nature of the bond and their relationship, the bond was trying to force them to get along. The bond was using whatever means it could to make them like each other and, I suppose, the only connection it could hold onto was something physical. I don't know if either of you has seen or paid attention to a Soul Bonding but, when the ceremony is complete, there's this very intense moment between the soul mates. That's the bond taking affect and tying them even more closely together than they already were. If they aren't close at all, the bond must try to do what it can to make them that way. For people who hate each other, sex seems to be the option to go with because it's the easiest connection to make. Nothing can actually create emotions, so…Well, we think that's why it happened. And since we don't get along, Draco…and Ginny, you don't much like Zabini…It could well happen to us."

"Yes, well, I'm not bonding with Zabini," Ginevra said with disgust.

"Your soul mate is Zabini?" Draco asked in surprise. He recalled Pansy teasing Blaise last year about having the hots for the fiery little red head but he doubted finding her attractive would be enough to make Blaise happy about being Ginevra Weasley's soul mate.

"Yes."

Draco shook his head. "Well, I must say, you Gryffindors are a lucky lot, aren't you?"

Ginevra laughed. "Right. How do you figure?"

"Well, Mu—M…_Hermione_ here gets the pleasure of not only bonding with me but being 'forced' to sleep with me. And you, dearest Ginevra, have inherited a decently attractive pureblood as a mate," Draco explained.

"There's nothing attractive about that arrogant bastard," Ginevra seethed.

"And I don't think there's any _pleasure_ to be found in sleeping with you, Draco," Hermione remarked coldly.

"We'll see about that," Draco snorted. The Mudblood would be lucky to have him in between her legs! Draco himself wasn't completely opposed to the idea. Having to be intimate with a Muggle-born wasn't a very appealing thought but Hermione was at least mildly attractive. Draco had to admit, Blaise was the luckier of the two. Maybe Ginevra was a blood traitor but she was at least a pureblood and a very beautiful girl.

"Hopefully, we won't have to see about that," Hermione said. "Listen, we'll need a few people at the bonding. People we know will make sure we don't do anything stupid."

"Oh I'm sure that will be covered," Draco sighed. "Mother wants to make a whole affair out of it."

"Does she?" Hermione asked uneasily.

"Mhm. It'll practically be a wedding, if she has her way," Draco said.

Hermione opened and closed her mouth for a moment then cleared her throat before she actually managed speech. "As long as it's distracting enough to keep us from making a silly mistake, then she can have all the fun she wants with it."

"Good, because I wasn't entirely certain I'd be able to stop her."

"Don't worry, Hermione. I'll protect you," Ginevra assured her friend, giving Draco the nastiest look.

"That reminds me," Hermione said. "There was one other thing I wanted to mention. I do think we should at least try to get along. Draco and I will be bonded soon and he'll be here…We're going to do our best to take care of the Malfoys. I think it would do us some good to try to…forget childhood animosities and attempt civility. Now, I'm not proposing friendship," she said quickly, spotting the shocked and defiant looks on their faces. "I just mean…It might make things a little easier if we weren't always attacking each other and if we perhaps tried to get to know each other a little bit."

"I already know everything there is to know about Malfoy," Ginevra muttered.

"Ginny," Hermione said warningly.

"Fine, fine. I'll try if _he_ will."

Two pairs of brown eyes turned to Draco expectantly.

He wanted to argue as Ginevra had but bit his tongue, struggling against his better nature. "I will _try_ but that's the most I can offer."

"That's all I can ask for," Hermione said, looking pleased. "Now, why don't we do something together?"

"We? Together?" Ginevra asked.

"Yes."

Bloody hell, how much did the Mudblood expect from him? Draco wanted to insult them and storm back to his house to spend the way helping fetch alcohol for his father or moving things for his mother. These were some of the last people on earth he wanted to do anything with! But Draco felt as though there wasn't much of a choice. There had been no Unbreakable Vows made, no promises that assured Draco enough that these people were going to take care of him. Especially now, with his parents involved. He couldn't risk anything. As 'good' as they were, they were still human and Draco couldn't risk upsetting them too much. Resigned, he asked, "Do what?"

"…so I guess we'll just bring that up at the next Order meeting," Remus said as the front door opened. Lily glared up in the direction of the front door. From their place in the dining room, sipping tea and nibbling on biscuits, they couldn't see the staircase. They very well heard the pounding of feet hitting each step and Grace's voice calling after her brother.

"Sorry, Remus. I'm just going to have to have a talk with my son later," Lily said, shaking her head. "Anyway, where were we?"

"I was just finishing," Remus assured her. After the strange, awkward meeting with Sirius yesterday, Remus knew he needed someone to talk to. As much as he loved James, he knew the person he needed most to talk to was Lily. She always did have the best advice. Telling her everything, from how bad things had been between Sirius and himself to his relationship with Tonks and even the complications during their bond testing, had made him feel better, in one sense, but worse in another.

"Alright," Lily said thoughtfully, taking a small sip of tea. "For one, I think you need to cool things down with Tonks. She's a wonderful young woman but she cares too much about you for you to do anything with her when you don't even know how you feel about her! You need to sort out your feelings for Sirius before you do that."

"My feelings for Sirius?" Remus asked, heart jumping at the mere mention of it. Why were people always insinuating there was something between Remus and Sirius these days?

Lily gave him a long look that assured him the answer was very much obvious. Remus didn't think it was. "Just have a talk with her and make sure she understands. You also need to have a long talk with Sirius about your bond. Things might be awkward between you but it won't get better unless you make it so. Though that might be a discussion best left for when you both work it out."

"Work what out?" Remus asked.

Lily gave him another look that Remus wasn't quite sure what to make of. "I thought Grace was so silly when she would say things about it but it's become a bit clearer recently."

"What has?"

She sighed. "Remus, you and Sirius are perfect for each other. There, I said it."

Remus just stared at her.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Do you realize you smile when you talk about him?" Remus frowned as he went back through their previous conversation, trying to think of all the times he mentioned Sirius and what he had been doing at the time. "When you weren't mentioning things that were bad, you know. Just when you were talking about him, normally, when nothing was wrong, you smile. Just this cute little lovesick puppy smile. I don't think you even realized it. And the way Sirius watches you! How mad he gets whenever he sees you with Tonks. It's clear as day to me. How no one else, including the two of you, sees it is beyond me."

"But…I…" Remus said, though he wasn't really sure how to explain how wrong she was. "We're just friends."

Lily laughed quietly and patted his hand. "I won't interfere more than I have. But I thought I should tell you. I would hate for you both to dance through life not even realizing it. At least now that it's in your head, it shouldn't take very long for you to understand."

"There's nothing to understand, Lily," Remus sighed.

Lily tried to hide her smile behind her cup as she took another long sip of her tea. Finally, she set the cup down and cleared her throat. "Well, you need to have a talk with them, Rem. Tell Tonks your intentions. Let her know you aren't serious at the moment and that you don't know how you feel about her so that she at least knows. Then talk with Sirius about how strange things have been and tell him you would like to try to make things less odd between you. That you want to go back to being the best of mates. Alright?"

"Alright," Remus said with a smile. They didn't sound like pleasant conversations, but he knew they had to be done. "Tomorrow, maybe. I should spend time with my godchildren today."

"They'll like that," Lily said with a grin. "Just make sure you actually talk to them. And I will _know_ if you haven't, Lupin."

"Yes, you and your Inner Eye, right?" Remus joked as he stood up.

"Worse than that," Lily smirked. "I'll ask them."

Ginny came up with the idea of spending quality time in the air. The threesome headed to the Malfoy's new house, which was the best home in Godric's Hollow, though they acted like they were stuck in a shack. Hermione didn't like the idea of flying very much but Ginny and Draco both liked it so Hermione let herself be dragged along. This was what she asked for and it at least put them in good moods. They were humorous in the little game they made up of tossing around a Quaffle. Whoever dropped the ball then had to fly around with Hermione.

Currently, Hermione was sitting behind Draco on his broom, where she had been for the better part of an hour. They were only hovering midair right now while Draco and Ginny bantered. Hermione barely paid any attention. She was clinging to Draco's back, hiding her face in his shirt. She did not need to look around. She needed to focus on breathing and making her stomach calm down. All of the sudden moves Draco liked to do on his broomstick had not left her in the best state. Draco didn't seem much happier. He didn't do as well on a broom with someone on it. Hermione had started off with Ginny and had only had to stay there for fifteen minutes. She had been with Draco ever since.

"You okay there, Hermione?" Ginny called out.

Hermione only whimpered in response.

"C'mon, Gran…Hermione. It's not so bad. We've been up here for an hour and you haven't fallen off yet! And I've been doing some of my best moves," Draco said, voice somewhere between soothing and sarcastic. It was as if he wasn't entirely sure how to treat her. Hermione was at least pleased and, honestly, a bit surprised he was making any sort of effort without much of a fuss.

"Why don't we let her down?" Ginny suggested. "She doesn't look so good."

Hermione wanted to say she hadn't looked good from the start. Ginny knew she hated flying! She didn't quite trust herself to speak though.

"Why? She'll never get over her fear if she doesn't face it," Draco said teasingly.

"She's been facing it for over an hour!" Ginny snapped. "Besides, you keep doing ridiculous moves just so she'll be scared!"

"No. I'm trying to make her see that flying is perfectly safe!"

"Yeah right. As if you're concerned about Hermione," Ginny snorted.

"Aren't we supposed to be playing nice, Ginevra?"

"Stop calling me that! And you're not playing nice!"

"I'm being perfectly nice! I haven't called her any derogatory names, purposefully run her into a tree, pushed her off of the broom, and I _let her_ cling onto me like a leech! That is the very definition of nice."

"You wouldn't know nice if it hit you on the back of the head, ferret."

"I'd like to hit you on the back of the head with something and it wouldn't be _nice_, weasel."

"Shut _up_!" Hermione hissed. "Ground! Now! We're going to spend quality time helping Mrs. Malfoy pick room colors."

"What? No!"

"Aww, Hermione, we were just having a bit of fun."

"Yeah! Friends pick on each other, don't they?"

"Your friends would, you git."

"GROUND! NOW!"

**Author's Note:** I sincerely hope that everyone enjoys this chapter, as it is the longest chapter I have written for any story ever and I did enjoy writing it very much. I would say, that as a rarity, I actually really like this chapter and how it turned out and so I really hope all of my readers feel the same way!

Big thanks to everyone who liked my FB page! I'm especially happy that some of you are even talking to me there and giving me input about things! For those who don't know, I created a FB page for my fanfics that you can find under Danniperson (the link is also on my author's page). I'm very glad I did so! It would be great for anyone who has a FB and reads more than one of my stories. I post a lot of information concerning the status of the stories I write, to let you know the things I am currently working on and things of that nature. I also do teasers for the chapters I'm working on. I ask questions when I want an opinion about things for upcoming chapters. It's also a great place to talk to me and communicate with the author and fellow readers. I've also gotten into numerous little conversations about snarry and my stories which is very fun! So if you want anyone to talk snarry with or anything else, it's really a great thing to do!

Also, if my a/n is worded weird, I just want you to know I woke up early to see if I got the chapter back so I could post it for you guys, so I'm very tired and I might be talking weird. I have a feeling I am but I can't be sure xD

ANYWHO! Big thanks to my reviewers: Tokugawa Blitzer, AstrophobicChick, autumngold, AlmondWithUnicornHair, Nocturnal Rose, Jane Alpha, monkeygirl66, Lady DestinyHope, Anniriel, ieatmyfeelings, da-blk-saiyangirl, Deatheaters-Anonymous, xXxElectraxXx, , bkerrmom1, and matsumotomoon! I love getting feedback and I appreciate you guys for taking the time to review! I hope everyone reading takes the time to review, especially those who might not have before! I would greatly appreciate it ^_^

Also a very big thanks to my beta Dani! I really appreciate all of her hard work! ^_^

Next chapter: Someone's getting bonded…That's all I will say =P


	16. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Silvery gray eyes pierced into her very soul. Everything that Hermione was reached out to Draco Malfoy. She needed to be close to him. His pale blond hair was so tempting. How she longed to reach out and stroke her fingers through it. She wanted to taste his pale lips. They looked so soft and inviting. Delicious. She might have gladly begged him to wrap his strong arms around her close to him while she clung to him like he was her lifeline. Hermione wanted nothing more than to be as close as physically possible to Draco. She wanted to crawl inside of him where she would be safe and secure. They would be one being and that thought was perfect to her. That intense longing was mirrored in the silver eyes she stared longingly into.

Hermione and Draco took a step closer to one another, eyes locked, attention obviously solely devoted to one another, completely forgetting the room full of people staring at them. Their lips parted, bodies moving gracefully into each other. Unfortunately for them both, before they could go very far, they were separated. Both let out similar cries of displeasure as both arms were taken hostage, their bodies pulled from one another. There was a sharp pain that faded quickly into a gentle throbbing, that made Hermione think of ripping off a bandage. Brown eyes blinked furiously as Harry and Ginny each took one of her arms and steadily pulled her away. The pair did their best not to make their move entirely obvious, though they were fairly certain a good number of people in the audience had noticed the magnetism between the pair.

She felt somewhat dazed as she glanced from one friend to the other, then glancing over her shoulder at Draco who looked irritated while Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass held his arms. Slowly but surely the room came back into focus and the realization hit hard. This was her bonding ceremony! She had just performed the Soul Bond with Draco Malfoy. Upon completion of the bond she had even been contemplating practically raping him! The way Draco was acting, though, maybe it wouldn't have necessarily been rape. Hermione felt her whole face heat up, too embarrassed to meet anyone's eyes but Harry's worried ones.

"Told you," Harry whispered quietly, giving her a playful little nudge.

"I didn't expect it to be quite like that," Hermione whispered back as Ginny led them over to one corner of the spacious sitting room everyone was gathered in. "I've been trying hard to get along with that prat so this wouldn't happen."

"Nothing _did_ happen," Ginny said soothingly. "Besides, considering he is a prat, I doubt it will be easy for you to actually get along perfectly well."

"Just keep working on it," Harry encouraged. "I'm sure you'll have more luck with Malfoy than I have with Snape."

"Are you _trying_ to get along with Snape?" Ginny asked curiously.

"No," Harry scoffed. "Despite what he may think, I'm not completely dumb."

"Not _completely_," Ginny teased.

"Shut it, Gin," Harry laughed.

"Oh my God," Hermione groaned.

"What?" Harry and Ginny asked.

"I thought about kissing Draco!" Hermione hissed in a panic.

Harry frowned sympathetically. "At least you didn't shag him."

"Thank God for small favors," Hermione sighed.

"That's not a small favor, Mione. That was a blessing…a very big one," Harry said with a grin. "C'mon, it's not that big of a deal. You're safe. We're here to keep your virtue intact. Now let's enjoy the party, okay?"

Hermione took a deep breath and slowly nodded her head. "Yes, alright."

The bonding ceremony had taken place in the new Malfoy home. It was well protected by every ward the Order of the Phoenix could muster. Not only that, it was large enough for the invited group, as well as being very beautiful. Narcissa had gotten the renovations done in time to hold the ceremony. It had taken a lot to get the woman to tone it down a bit. The way Narcissa was going, the entire thing would have completely mimicked a wedding ceremony. It still had, in some ways, such as Narcissa insisting that Harry escort Hermione to where Draco stood with Dumbledore, since her father wasn't there to do so. Hermione hadn't even wanted to begin explaining this entire situation to her parents, though she was sure she was going to have to before summer was up. She at least needed to pay them a visit before she went back to Hogwarts on September 1.

While she wasn't wearing a white gown, Narcissa had managed to get Hermione into a semi-formal dress. It was a gorgeous tea-length halter dress made of a rose gold silk. There was a golden belt around the middle that ended in a very large bow at her middle back. The number was also backless, much to Hermione's horror, but it felt rude to turn it down, though she had raised a few objections when Narcissa first put her into it. The dress wasn't even all of Narcissa's gift. There had been matching heels that, after Hermione stumbled enough times, Narcissa turned into flats of the same gold as the belt. Mrs. Malfoy had also done her hair, sneaking long delicate gold chains with small, sparkling pink diamonds through the golden brown strands of her hair as she pulled it into an elegant chignon. The final products she was presented with were a gold upper arm bracelet in the shape of a rose and a similar, yet smaller, rose design for around the opposite wrist. It was all a bit much for Hermione's tastes, but she was dealing with Malfoys.

"Oh you look so beautiful!" Narcissa had said while dressing Hermione. "You may be a Mud—Muggle-born, but you're practically family now! Really, my son could have done worse! You really do look very beautiful when you're all made up!"

Hermione had felt a bit indignant about it all at first, but Narcissa really looked like she was trying very hard to be nice and Hermione had been too nervous to trust herself to talk. Besides, the way Ron's eyes widened and the way his jaw dropped when he saw her had been well worth it. Her nausea had faded in that moment and she walked confidently down the aisle to where Draco and Dumbledore had stood.

Now, though, Hermione felt a nervous wreck again. She was embarrassed by the whole display with Draco, but she held her head high. Harry and Ginny still stood protectively on either side of her and they offered a sort of support that made her feel easier. Dark brown eyes glanced all along the room as people began to stand and mingle. Ron stood clutching Hannah's hand, trying to concentrate on a conversation with Neville and Cedric, but his blue eyes kept finding her. Hermione glanced over him, pretending not to notice the way he was staring, though a pleased smirk tugged at her lips.

"You really _should_ have kissed him, Herms!" Grace exclaimed, bouncing up to them, wearing a mischievous grin. "You know you wanted to!"

"I did not!" Hermione snapped, cheeks burning pink.

"Didn't look that way to meeee!" Grace sang.

"Go away, Gracie," Harry said.

Grace stuck her tongue out at him. Harry glared. "What are you? Thirteen or three?"

"You should go talk to Zabini, Ginny!" Grace said excitedly. "Gosh, he looks so handsome! I've never really seen him up close before, but gosh he's so yummy!"

"You can have him then. He's my gift to you," Ginny said dryly.

"I would, but Dad says I'm not allowed to date until I'm thirty," Grace said, rolling her eyes. "He makes all these threats every time I mention a boy. So I, out of the goodness of my heart, leave them alone…So Daddy can't ruin their pretty faces, you know?"

"Right," Ginny said with an amused smile. "Why don't you go over and introduce yourself to them, Gracie? Look at their pretty faces up close."

"You're just trying to get rid of me," Grace accused, putting her hands on her hips and glaring. "But don't worry, Fred and George are here! FRED! GEORGE!" Grace shouted, running off to talk to the twins.

"I love her, but sometimes I don't know how you put up with her, Harry," Ginny sighed.

"Me either," Harry laughed.

"I need a drink," Hermione mumbled.

Draco Malfoy was not a happy person as his parents led the group into the nearby "ballroom" his mother had fixed up. A tapestry of the silver and blue family crest took up most the nearby wall. The far wall was made up entirely of windows with barely any wall in between with a glass door that led out to the back garden that was still being worked on. Balloons of silver, blue, green, gold, and red were high on the ceiling, though Grace Potter had managed to get one down and was now tossing a gold balloon around with the Weasley twins. There were large flower arrangements, a great deal including pieces of exotic fruit anyone could pluck off and eat. There were several tables covered with his mother's favorite tablecloths and the best china. A small group of witches and wizards were gathered in one corner playing classical music on various instruments. This had become a nightmare, just like one of his mother's little balls.

"All of this to bond yourself to a Mudblood," Blaise muttered. "This should have been a private affair. I would have assumed your parents would have been ashamed of such a…_pairing_."

Draco scowled at his friend. "It's not as if it's being announced to the entire world. If you say one word, Zabini, I swear…"

Blaise raised his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean it like that, Draco. I'm only surprised, that's all. It's been a strange few days."

It had been nearly a week since his first day spent having "quality time" with Hermione and Ginevra. His mother had planned the party in a matter of days, the biggest issue being the guest list. No one they couldn't trust would be invited. Draco was only grateful to have an excuse to have some of _his_ friends here. He managed to get Blaise to come spend a few days with him (lucky thing it was that the Zabinis were a neutral family and he wouldn't have to worry about Blaise betraying him to the Dark Lord) in which time he got Hermione and Ginevra to explain the whole deal about soul mates and Soul Bonding to him, eventually revealing that Blaise and Ginevra were soul mates. Even more pleasantly surprising was going over the guest list with Order members and his mother announcing that Charlie Weasley would be bringing his own soul mate to get to know her better, that person being Daphne Greengrass herself. They were all he could risk having. He hated being so surrounded by Gryffindors and the like. Aside from his parents and Severus, Blaise and Daphne were all he had. As much as he liked Theodore Nott, he couldn't trust him with this. Not when his father, Christopher Nott, was a Death Eater. Not when Theodore was considering joining them, as well, if he hadn't already. The Dark Lord could have Theodore attempt what he wanted Draco to do. He shivered at the very thought.

"You alright, Dray?" Daphne asked.

"I'm fine," Draco snapped. "As fine as can be expected, under the circumstances."

"I don't envy you," Blaise muttered. Draco shot him a glare.

"Come off it, Blaise," Daphne snarled. "Granger may be a Mudblood, but don't forget we're stuck with _Weasleys_. 'Blood traitors are nearly as bad', remember?"

"Didn't stop you from ogling Charles Weasley," Blaise said.

"Didn't stop you from ogling Ginevra Weasley, either, did it?" Daphne shot back.

Unable to help themselves, Draco and Blaise sought out their soul mates. His mother had certainly dressed Hermione well. _Very_ well. Mothers should not know how to dress girls to make them attractive to their sons! The halter dress she wore was a v-neck, and probably the most low-cut thing the poor Mudblood had ever worn. It didn't show too much, but just enough for Draco to find it difficult to look elsewhere. He felt a great deal of self-disgust at finding the Muggle-born so attractive and turned his appreciative eye to Ginevra. The red head wore a form-fitting jade green dress that showed off her legs nicely, as well as showing off a rather nice chest. Blood traitor she may be, but she was beautiful. And given the choice, he could stomach being with a blood traitor more than he could a Mudblood. No matter the issues, blood traitors could change their tune and Ginevra was at least a pureblood.

Hermione may not have been such a bad person, but he very well couldn't get _too_ friendly with her. Having Blaise and Daphne here reminded him of that. He couldn't go back to treating her like dirt, in case it only proved to work against them, but he didn't have to show too much interest, either. He sure as hell needed to get that image of kissing her senseless out of his mind. That moment when the ceremony was complete had scared the mess out of him! He did not need to wonder how nice Hermione felt beneath his hands or how delectable she looked.

"Exactly," Daphne muttered, shaking her head.

Blaise cleared his throat then straightened his robes. "Will you bond with him?"

"Will you bond with her?"

Daphne and Blaise glared at each other. Draco sighed and shot them both a dirty look. The witch sighed heavily; curling a strand of her shiny caramel colored hair around a finger, the skirt of her periwinkle dress swinging around her legs as her hips gently began to sway to the music. "I may," she finally replied. "He's very good looking. Very rugged, like the heroes in the dirty novels Mother reads."

"I don't want to think about the sort of trash Lydia reads," Blaise mumbled.

"_Why_ on earth do you insist on calling my mother by her first name?" Daphne grumbled.

"He wants to sleep with her," Draco replied.

"She's very good-looking," Blaise admitted.

"You're a pig," Daphne scoffed. "So what about the Weasley girl?"

"Attractive," Blaise said.

"You know what I mean."

"I might."

"Ask her to dance."

Draco personally thought this was a good idea. Seeing Ginevra flat our reject, if not hex, Blaise would have been amusing. He was growing bored with present company, but no one and nothing else seemed preferable at the moment, either. Damn his mother for wanting to make such a big occasion out of this whole mess! Sure, he was grateful to the Order in his own way. The bond with Hermione would be beneficial to his magic (at least in theory). Then the Order was taking care of him and his family. He hadn't even had to make the Unbreakable Vow! Though how he was starting to wish he had, if only to have Hermione make one so he wouldn't have to _worry_ so much about screwing up and ending up screwed.

"Oh, Draco, there you are!" Narcissa called happily, moving gracefully towards her son. "Why don't you ask Hermione to dance? The photographers would love to have some pictures of you both together and it would be so…"

"Can't, Mother," Draco said quickly. "I've already asked Daphne. Maybe later."

Daphne blinked at him in surprise.

"Oh, but, Draco…" Narcissa said.

Draco didn't wait to hear what more she had to say, instead grabbing Daphne's hand and pulling her out onto the dance floor. Not many people were dancing. Only the eldest Weasley and his Veela wife, Lily and James Potter, and Grace Potter alternating between the Weasley twins in a rather dramatic fashion. Draco scowled at them as one of the twins spun Grace out to be caught by the other twin who began to lead her in a tango that didn't quite fit with the current music.

"I _wanted_ to dance with Charles," Daphne complained.

"Oh, it's _Charles_ now?" Draco teased.

"Be quiet," Daphne sighed. "I know she's a Mudblood, but would it really be _so_ bad to dance with _her_? I mean you bonded with her."

Maybe it wouldn't have been the end of the world to dance with Hermione. Maybe he would of if he didn't so clearly remember that moment after the ceremony. There was no way he was going to get too close to Hermione for the rest of the night, especially with that warning she had given him that day in the park. If Potter could bend over and take it from Severus, what would stop him from shagging a Mudblood?

One would think that telling a woman who had been crushing on you for a long time that you weren't sure of your feelings for her and didn't care for anything serious would stop wanting to be your date to every social event. Sirius scowled at the way Tonks stood very close to Remus across the room. They both stood on the edge of the dance floor, looking like they might want to join the other couples, but both laughing and chickening out at the last second. They also spent a great deal of time talking quietly and watching the dancers.

Remus had visited Sirius two days ago to discuss their friendship. It seemed like such a girl thing to do, talking about the state of friendships, thoughts, and feelings. Still, they acknowledged the strangeness between them and agreed it was likely because of how odd it was to be soul mates, when often enough people spent most of their lives thinking of soul mates as one's 'true love' and destined lover. They spent a good portion of the afternoon laughing like old times and drinking. Remus even told him about the talk he had with Tonks before visiting him at Grimmauld Place. Tonks hadn't seemed very upset then claimed to understand where Remus was coming from, promising that she wouldn't expect too much from him.

Now they were back to this _casual dating_ nonsense. You couldn't _casually date_ a man you were in love with! Sirius had been very pleased to hear about Remus's conversation with Tonks. Now he understood it had done nothing. Tonks was only hoping that more time spent with Remus (as much time as possible, it seemed), the more he would realize how perfect they were for each other or something. Remus was being a fool not to see it! If Remus really cared about not hurting Tonks' feelings, he would end things for good! He would tell her they couldn't see each other anymore so he wouldn't lead her on and she wouldn't get her hopes up!

They were both very, very stupid.

Sirius was likely stupid, too. He was, after all, the one who had been watching them for five minutes. And most of the day, if he was perfectly honest. He gritted his teeth every time Tonks shot that hopeful look in Remus's direction or offered that sweet little smile of hers. He clenched his fists every time her hair changed colors while talking to Remus, wondering what that orangish-pinkish color meant, wondering what electric blue meant, wondering what that plum color meant. He even suspected her chest had grown at least a couple of times since her arrival. Though that could have been an overactive imagination. Sirius didn't think so.

"Do you not find it a bit…_pathetic_…that a werewolf managed to find a date and you didn't?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, body tensing, and he counted to ten in his head to keep from punching the git in the face. Finally, he turned to look behind him. Lucius Malfoy stood there, silver eyes glittering in haughty amusement. "I'd hardly call _her_ a _date_." Possibly not nice, but Sirius found it hard to think nice thoughts about Tonks these days.

"You wouldn't?" Lucius asked. "She certainly looks like his date. Have you seen her dress? Red is a very _seductive_ color, you know? The way it fits her body, as well, is a good sign. Very tight. The skirt is long enough to where she doesn't look like a whore, but short enough to keep interest. Low cut enough to catch the eye, but not so low as to make clear she craves the attention. She watches him more than he watches her and touches him as often as she can find an excuse to do so. She is hopelessly in love with him, isn't she?"

"Been stalking them, have you?" Sirius muttered, downing the glass of firewhiskey had had in front of him.

"No more than you have," Lucius said, smoothly sliding into the chair beside Sirius. "However, it does not take hours of observation to pick up on particular details. I am a Slytherin. I am trained in the art of seduction, observation, and judgment. Very fine skills that tell me all that I need to know about that relationship without having to stare at them half the night."

"I haven't been staring."

"Did I say you have?"

"It was implied."

"Was it?"

"Stop playing games with me, Malfoy, I am not in the mood."

"Ah, but you are in my home."

"Would you like me to leave?"

"Leave? Why no. At least not for another…Say…Hour?"

An hour? This man was up to something. Sirius glanced at Lucius, questions in his slate gray eyes. The older wizard didn't bother looking at him, instead glancing around the room. Sirius waited, hoping for an explanation. He was hoping he wouldn't have to ask. The seconds ticked by, though, and Sirius was ready to say something.

"Narcissa is such a foolish romantic. I don't know if you know that," Lucius said, nodding to where his wife stood on the dance floor, dancing with Kingsley Shackelbolt. "We're soul mates. She thinks it's very sweet. I think she's a silly old witch. She wishes to bond, but I don't particularly care to."

"Is this…" Sirius started with a glare, wondering why Lucius was telling him all of this. They were hardly friends. Sirius was no therapist. He wasn't some advisor or anything. Was he hoping to speak badly of all of the women in the room tonight?

"I love my wife," Lucius continued, interrupting Sirius. "However, I am sick of all of this talk of soul mates and bonds. It reminds me of when she would pressure me for marriage."

"You never did want to commit," Sirius commented.

"No, I didn't," Lucius said quietly. "I _do_ love her."

"Yes, well," said Sirius, though he wasn't sure what else to say.

"I do. But I am not the sort of man who should commit to anything," Lucius replied.

Was he looking for help to cheat on Narcissa? Sirius glanced at his cousin uncertainly. Did he hope to shag Tonks? He had gone on about her, hadn't he? Not that Sirius saw anything good about bedding Tonks. A Metamorph might offer some fun in the sack, but she was rather clumsy. He could just imagine the sort of trouble she would get into if she shagged anyone.

"Sometimes a man has needs. Needs that ideals such as monogamy do not fit into. Especially men like me," Lucius explained.

"Mhm," Sirius said, hoping Lucius would get to the point soon.

"I don't have extramarital affairs to hurt my wife. But sex _could_ be useful in hurting people," Lucius said. "For revenge, perhaps. Or making someone see the light."

"Right," Sirius said.

"Narcissa wouldn't notice I was gone. Or she would pretend not to know," Lucius said.

"Hmm."

"Your friend Lupin might notice if you were gone, though. I don't think he'd be very pleased."

"Would he?"

Sirius was confused for a moment.

And then…

Oh.

"Oh," Sirius said, eyes growing wide as he turned back to Lucius who was smirking. He still wasn't looking at Sirius. Lucius Malfoy was…what? Propositioning him? That idea was preposterous! But Sirius wasn't sure what else to make of this whole situation.

"You could ask your friend to keep an eye on Narcissa for us. Wouldn't want your poor, dear cousin walking in on something like that. You would be forever grateful to him. Then you can meet me upstairs. Second floor, fourth bedroom on the right. I'll be waiting." Lucius stood and finally glanced at him, a particular hunger in his eyes as he looked Sirius over. "It would look bad if we left together. Especially seeing as there's only one person we really care to inform about this."

Sirius couldn't say anything, only watching as Lucius walked out of the ballroom.

What the bloody hell? He had never even been with a man before! He had never entertained ideas of a homosexual nature before! Somehow, that didn't quite matter. He glanced at Remus and Tonks, feeling that maybe it wasn't the worst idea in the world.

"I always wanted to play an instrument," Tonks commented, now watching the band.

"Did you?" Remus asked politely. "Was there a particular one?"

"Not really. I did try to learn the harmonica, but I don't think I ever did that quite right. Oh! And Mum tried to get me flute lessons once, but I only got a few minutes in when the teacher declared me hopeless. Dunno what that was all about," Tonks shrugged. "I guess I was just really awful at it."

"I'm sure you can't have been _that_ bad. Considering you were taking lessons, she can't have expected much," Remus said.

"You would think," Tonks laughed. "What about you? Do you play an instrument?"

"I used to play the piano," Remus replied.

"Oh! You should try playing again. I love the piano," Tonks said with a grin.

Tonks didn't seem like such a piano lover to Remus. She didn't seem like she would take much in anything that wasn't like the Weird Sisters and such rockstars. He was about to comment when he felt a nudge to his side.

"Oh, hi, Sirius," Remus said with a smile.

Sirius seemed anxious as he looked around the room. "Ah, you mind doing me a favor, Moony?"

"Sure. What is it?" Remus asked, smile falling a bit in his concern.

"You and Tonks mind keeping an eye on Cissa? Make sure she stays down here and…occupied?" Sirius asked.

"Uh…Of course. But…why? You aren't doing something stupid with James, are you?" Remus asked, eyes narrowed. The Malfoys may not have been good people, but Remus wasn't sure he liked the idea of Sirius running around messing up their home or something equally stupid.

"No. No, James doesn't know about it," Sirius said. "Ahem. Lucius is waiting for me upstairs and we'd rather…ah…we'd rather his wife didn't see anything."

Everything seemed to be frozen. All feeling sort of swept out of him. His brain had ceased functioning for several moments. "Lucius?"

"Yes."

"Lucius Malfoy?"

"That's what I said."

"Upstairs?"

"Said that, too."

"You're shagging with Lucius Malfoy?" Tonks asked in bewilderment.

"Will be in a few minutes," Sirius said with that mischievous grin of his. "Thanks! We'll _try_ not to be long!"

Remus just stared as Sirius walked out of the ballroom. To go upstairs. With Lucius Malfoy. To _shag_.

"Merlin's beard," Remus muttered.

"Blimey," Tonks whispered, looking a bit dazed. "Sirius and _Lucius_? I didn't even know they were gay!"

"Neither did I," Remus said quietly. He must have lost feeling in his entire body. Reaching over he pinched himself hard in the arm.

"That's just…wow," Tonks said, shaking her head. "He's married! And he's going to…When his wife is here and everything!"

"Yeah," Remus said, blinking and turning back to Tonks. Sirius was going to have sex with Lucius Malfoy. Tonks continued to mutter under her breath while the mental images flew through Remus's head. Heat filled his cheeks at the thought of Sirius and Lucius naked. He may not have been with a man before, but he knew what men did together. Who would be on top? He couldn't imagine Sirius as a bottom. It was strange, picturing Sirius and Lucius kissing. There was something very intriguing about the thought. At the same time, though, there was a painful twisting in his heart and stomach. Shock gave way to curiosity which inevitably gave way to frustration.

"I can't believe he would ask us to cover for him!" Remus finally snapped.

"I know!" Tonks replied, turning back to him. "I may not be close to Aunt Narcissa, but I have half a mind to go over there and say something!"

"Someone should say something," Remus muttered, glaring in the direction Sirius had disappeared to. How could he? How _dare_ Sirius just…just run off and do that? Remus shook his head. "I've never felt so…" _betrayed_ "disappointed in him in my life." Remus wrinkled his nose at the word he first thought to use, but betrayed didn't really fit, did it? How on earth was Sirius betraying _him_ by sleeping with Lucius? They were both betraying Narcissa.

"Poor Narcissa," Tonks said with a frown. "Her husband and _cousin_ doing this to her! Do you think we should tell her?"

"Tell who what?"

Remus and Tonks turned to see James and Lily approaching, holding hands. James was the one who had asked, his smile fading when he saw their faces. Lily frowned, glancing to her husband then to her friends. "Is something wrong?" Lily asked.

"Yes, something's wrong," Remus spat bitterly. "Sirius ran upstairs to bugger Lucius Malfoy!"

"HE DID _WHAT_?" Lily and James exclaimed at once. Several people turned their heads to look at them. James gaped at Remus while Lily put her hand over her mouth.

"You're joking!" Lily whispered.

"'Fraid not," Tonks muttered. "Sirius came over here to ask if we would keep an eye on Narcissa so she didn't go looking for them."

"That…_arse_!" Lily hissed.

"That idiot!" James exclaimed. "You know where they went?"

"Upstairs, I think," Remus said.

"Let's go stop him! That bastard must have Imperiused him!" James growled.

"No, James, I don't think that's it," Lily sighed, glaring in the general direction of the room's exit.

"Then what else can it be?" James growled angrily. "Sirius isn't that much of a…He's not even gay!"

"He didn't look Imperiused to me," Tonks said with a frown.

"Nor to me," Remus added.

"Well you weren't looking hard enough, were you?" James snapped.

"James," Lily said.

"What? This is stupid! My best friend is not…He's not like that! And certainly not like that with Lucius bloody Malfoy. He's a Malfoy, Lily! A _Malfoy_! I don't care what anyone else says, he's a fucking Death Eater!"

"You listen to me, James Irving Potter," Lily snapped. "You will not run up there making an arse of yourself! You can talk to Sirius _later_. Just…Leave it alone for now. All of you. I think I know what's going on."

"What is it, then?" James demanded.

"I can't tell you!" Lily hissed.

"I'd personally like to know what you think is going on. Because I'm really confused," Remus said.

"Yes, well. You'll all have to take it up with Sirius," Lily said. "Jamie, go find Harry and Grace, alright? Make sure they're staying out of trouble. Make sure Harry's still _here_, actually. That boy has a habit of running off, I think. Spend some quality time with your children. They'll be leaving again before long, you know."

"But! I can spend time with them when we get home. I…We're at a party. Wouldn't they rather be with their friends?"

"Probably," Lily said. "I dunno, James. Go challenge Kings to an arm wrestling contest."

"Never again. Lost twenty times in a row to that man. Embarrassing, that," James muttered.

"Then I don't know, James. Just…Oh, I know. Why don't you and Tonks dance?" Lily suggested. James gaped at her flabbergasted. "I need to talk to Remus! Alone!"

"Err…I'm not much of a dancer, myself," Tonks muttered. James shot her a grateful look. "Hey, you can always arm wrestle me!"

"Good," Lily said. She sent Remus a look, but Remus didn't know what to make of it. He wasn't even sure what to make of what he was feeling right now. All he knew was that the images of Sirius and Lucius were becoming more vivid in his head and he didn't like it. He started to feel sick. "C'mon, Remy," she said quietly, taking his arm and leading him over to the bar.

The bar was very small. House elves were running around with trays handing out drinks. Only one house elf stood behind the bar looking bored, then eager when they came up. It was a little out of the way of the bigger crowd. Lily ushered Remus onto a stool and sat beside him. Remus was hardly aware of any of it. Lily ordered him a drink. Once the glass was set in front of him he gulped it down.

"How do you feel?" Lily asked quietly.

He felt like he was being ripped apart from the inside. He wasn't sure what this feeling was, but he felt like his insides were crumbling. There were flares of anger, but for the most part they seemed to be dying down. His stomach lurched in what felt like envy, but that didn't make sense. His heart ached in feelings of betrayal, but that didn't make much sense, either. He was just upset that Sirius would do something so horrible. Sirius was his best friend. He was a better man than to sleep with someone married. To sleep with someone married in said person's home with said person's wife just downstairs! In the middle of a party! And had the gall to ask him to keep an eye out for him.

"Lousy," Remus sighed.

"I know," Lily said quietly. He half expected to hear her launch into comforts of how she knew what it was and how he should just admit his feelings or something. True to her word, though, Lily said nothing more on the subject of Remus's feelings for Sirius. Instead she sat beside him, sipping at a glass of wine while he nursed a stronger sort of poison, stroking his back in a comforting manner.

Hermione had gone to the restroom and Ginny had been asked to dance by Neville. Harry, meanwhile, was avoiding his sister like the plague. She had been spending most of the day with the Weasley twins, which did not normally bode well for anyone, especially when she looked at him with that glimmer of mischief in her hazel eyes. When he managed to lose sight of her, he ducked out of the ballroom and headed down the nearest hallway. This was his first time in the new Malfoy home and he wasn't quite sure where he was, nor did he really have any clue as to where he was attempting to go. A nice walk by himself sounded like a good idea. At least away from the crowd he had a better chance of spotting Grace, Fred, and/or George if any of them tried anything.

A nearby door opened. Before Harry realized what was happening he was being slammed back into a wall, familiar lips pressing against his own. He responded easily, letting that probing tongue enter his mouth to battle his own while his hands tugged at Snape's dress robes. It took only seconds for him to growl in frustration at the difficulty posed by the tiny clasps, buttons, and strings.

Harry had been all too aware of Snape all day. This was worse than usual. They were surrounded by people! He shouldn't have felt his body becoming aroused just looking at the man. He wasn't that attractive! He wasn't good looking in any way, shape, or form. He had crooked teeth, a huge nose, greasy hair, sallow skin, and he was _old_. At least compared to Harry. And a _man_! He shouldn't have been tempted to kiss those thin lips or imagine throughout the entire ceremony fucking his mouth.

It was disgusting.

Right now, though, he found nothing disgusting about the way those big hands grasped at his arse, pulling him closer. In fact, there was something terribly arousing in the way those yellowed teeth pulled at his lower lip and the way that tongue trailed down his jaw. His body felt tight in anticipation as soft lips moved tenderly along his skin, leaving the barest of touches to his skin. The kisses were enough for him to feel, but always left him needing more. Both were too impatient to properly tease each other. Snape's hand had already unbuttoned his jeans and was palming him through his boxers as he began sucking on the pulse point in his neck. Harry gasped and clutched at Snape.

"Harry?"

Harry heard the voice, but he didn't really care. What Snape was doing and making sure he kept doing it was all he was worried about. Making sure Snape did _more_ and _soon_ were the big things on his mind. "Please," he moaned.

"Ugh. Harry…C'mon, Harry. This is gross! Bloody hell! I did not need to see that! Ugh…"

A soft hand tugged at his arm. "Harry! People are going to see you if you don't stop! Sn—Professor Snape, please!"

"Hmm?" Harry said, forcing himself to open his eyes. Ginny was beside him, tugging on his arm. He blinked rapidly, feeling as though he was trying to wake up, but his dreams were still trying to hold him captive.

"Harry?" called the voice of James Potter from nearby.

"Oh shite!" Harry exclaimed, hissing as Snape gripped him tighter. God, that felt good! "Don't stop…"

"No, stop!" Ginny hissed, tugging his arm again.

Reluctantly, Harry and Snape tore away from each other. Harry's shaky hands fumbled to tuck himself away and do his pants back up. Snape continued to stare at him, hunger intense in those black eyes. Harry swallowed hard, wanting to go back to him and beg to be devoured.

"So glad Hermione warned me about this," Ginny muttered. "Still a disturbing sight, mind you. But at least it wasn't a complete shock…You look good, c'mon, Harry."

Ginny grabbed his hand and pulled him along. They reached the end of the hallway just as James turned. "You alright, Harry?" James asked, glaring down the hallway at Snape.

"Yeah, I'm great," Harry said distractedly.

"I can see that," James said with a grin. "Ahem." He glanced down pointedly at Harry's jeans.

"Huh? Oh…Dad!" Harry exclaimed, turning slightly away while Ginny giggled and stepped in front of him.

"So…ahh…you're…?" James asked, looking between them.

"What? Us? No!" Ginny laughed. "No…Just…Well…It's nothing, Mr. Potter!" Ginny said, blushing furiously.

"Right," James laughed. He couldn't help eying Snape distastefully. "They're teenagers, Sniv. I know you didn't get much action when…well, ever, but you shouldn't spoil their fun. They're not back at school yet!"

Harry glanced over his shoulder. Snape glared at James, sent Harry one last heated look, then turned and disappeared further down the hallway, a loud slamming of a door sounding a few seconds later.

"Ah…I'd let you go back to…Whatever…but…"

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Potter, we're good!" Ginny said quickly. Her face was bright red and she couldn't meet anyone's eyes as she darted back into the ballroom.

"Ahh…Sorry 'bout that, son," James said embarrassedly, though there was a proud gleam in his eyes.

"Err…No, that's fine. It was for the best," Harry said. He was grateful Ginny had managed to stop them. At the same time, though, there was disappointment, and a strong craving that didn't seem to be going away, even though Snape was gone now.

The bond of Harry Potter and Severus Snape was not the only one at play that day. Just upstairs, Hermione was fiddling with a loose strand of hair in the bathroom when the door opened. Hermione, who had been sitting on the edge of the bathtub, looked up in surprise. She thought she had locked the door, but she apparently hadn't. Her soul mate stood there looking frustrated and didn't even seem to notice her at first as he not only locked the doors, but warded it up.

"Umm…Excuse me," Hermione said.

Draco spun around, wand raised. He moved so suddenly that Hermione squeaked in shock, lost her balance, and fell backwards into the tub.

"Oh…It's you," said Draco.

Just across the hall, Sirius found himself in the unusual position of being face to face with the older Malfoy. More importantly, mouth to mouth. It was the strangest thing that Sirius had ever dealt with. He was laying flat on his back, completely naked, in a guest bedroom with Lucius Malfoy straddling him, rubbing their hips together while kissing him deeply. It was different, kissing a man, but not all that unpleasant. He found that, while a bit odd, the feel of another man's erection pressing against him wasn't all bad, either. It was actually sort of arousing.

It was, however, hard to focus. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and he was undoubtedly excited. He kept thinking about Remus, the look of shock on his face, and half hoping the werewolf would barge in here and stop this madness.

Lucius smirked as he pulled away and sat up. The man was truly a beautiful sight, if you could call a man beautiful. He was pale, lightly muscled, very clear silver eyes darkened in lust, a long mane of pale blond hair that he tossed over his shoulder when he sat up. His skin was smooth and unblemished. Sirius, without really thinking about it, reached up to trail his hand over the warm skin, shivering at the warmth he found there.

"Tell me, have you ever been with a man before?" Lucius asked, reaching between them to wrap his cool fingers around Sirius's half hard cock. Sirius groaned and bucked his hips up into the tight grip. There was nothing tentative about that touch, it was just as confident and hungered as the man on top of him was.

"N-no…But you better not get anywhere n-near my…arse," Sirius groaned.

Lucius chuckled. "Dear Mr. Black…If I wanted to be on top of something I would have chosen a woman."

Well, that was surprising. The little thought Sirius had actually put into this whole thing, the only concern he really had was the argument that would surely come concerning positions. How could anyone _like_ that? Sirius wasn't about to ask questions, though. If Lucius wanted it, then Sirius was willing to give it. Besides, it was very hard to think with Lucius doing what he was doing.

"Tell me, Sirius," Lucius murmured. "What would you like me to do?"

"Yes, it's me," Hermione said indignantly, wiggling around as she tried to find a good way to get out of the tub. Most of her back was at the bottom, only her neck propped up on the side of the tub and her legs were dangling over the edge of the opposite end. "You should really make sure you no one else is in a bathroom before barging in!"

"Sorry," Draco grumbled, walking over and extending his hand. He looked irritated, but so did she, and she needed the help out. Hesitantly she took his hand and let him grunt as he struggled to pull her up.

"I'm not that heavy," she mumbled as she was lifted a little bit. Draco reached out to wrap his arms around her middle to help lift her the rest of the way, setting her on her feet once she was out. Neither moved for a few moments. Draco's arms were still around Hermione, though his grip had loosened, and Hermione's hands were now resting on his chest, playing with the buttons of his pale blue shirt. It was nice being close to him. He was so warm. Draco also smelled wonderful, like faded cologne, sweat, and old books. Hermione reached up to pull away part of his shirt as she leaned in to press her nose to his collarbone, inhaling deeply. Merlin that was amazing! She felt him tremble and pressed a gentle kiss to his warm skin. His hands reached up to touch her arms and Hermione sighed, sliding her arms around his neck and kissing along his collarbone and up to his neck. She just wanted to be surrounded by his scent and that heat. Gosh his skin was soft…so pale. It probably tasted good, too. Hermione parted her lips a bit as she kissed just under his jaw. His fingers tightened around her arms as she began to suck gently on the side of his neck. "Mmm," she moaned. He did taste good. Salty from dried sweat, but good.

"H…Hermione," Draco breathed.

"Mmm?"

Draco grabbed Hermione's face in his hands, kissing her hard. Her lips were so full and so soft, opening easily to his questing tongue. She made a lovely whimpering noise as she pulled her body closer to his. Merlin, she tasted delicious. She felt wonderful, all soft curves and smooth skin. Draco eagerly trailed his hands down her face, neck, slowing down on her chest to grasp her full, pert breasts. Hermione moaned quietly in response.

It wasn't enough. It was nice, but it wasn't enough. The desire he felt for her was rapidly growing and spinning out of control. Something in the back of his mind rebelled against the force, wanting to go slower or wanting to stop. He wasn't sure which it was, honestly. His hands shook with the force of trying to gather some control. There was none to be found. Finally giving in, Draco groaned then reached down to grab the backs of her legs to pull her up his body. Hermione helped the process, moving with him and wrapping her legs around his waist.

Lily and Remus stood in the hallway, the silence ringing loudly in their ears. Lily gaped in complete shock at the bathroom door, having heard the last few minutes of their coupling. She had known the two were trying to get along better, but she had no idea it was to _that_ point! Her green eyes slowly turned to Remus, who hadn't seemed to notice Hermione and Draco at all. He was still staring blankly at the door that led to the bedroom that Sirius and Lucius occupied. They had finished only a minute or two before the teenagers. With a frown, Lily walked over to slide her arm through his and placed a kiss to the side of his arm.

Remus noticed nothing. Nothing but the pain imbedded deeply in his heart. He felt cold. Very, very cold despite the warmth of the day. He knew he should probably move before anyone came out, but he couldn't. He couldn't remember how to function right at all.

Seeming to realize this, Lily slowly tugged on his arm and Remus blindly followed her back downstairs. A few people were asking where the others had disappeared to, but everyone else was having too much fun to care enough to go looking.

**Author's Note:** Big thanks to everyone who liked my FB page! I'm especially happy that some of you are even talking to me there and giving me input about things! For those who don't know, I created a FB page for my fanfics that you can find under Danniperson (the link is also on my author's page). I'm very glad I did so! It would be great for anyone who has a FB and reads more than one of my stories. I post a lot of information concerning the status of the stories I write, to let you know the things I am currently working on and things of that nature. I also do teasers for the chapters I'm working on. I ask questions when I want an opinion about things for upcoming chapters. It's also a great place to talk to me and communicate with the author and fellow readers. I've also gotten into numerous little conversations about snarry and my stories which is very fun! So if you want anyone to talk snarry with or anything else, it's really a great thing to do!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed: Tokugawa Blitzer, xXxElectraxXx, Anniriel, AstrophobicChick, bkerrmom1, Lady DestinyHope, ieatmyfeelings, vampy-chan17, Nocturnal Rose, ashuraou, AlmondWithUnicornHair, saintsational, and taylor! You guys are awesome!

And to ieatmyfeelings…I have no idea who anyone is unless they tell me…sometimes even then I forget xD I don't think I could even guess :P lol

Also thanks so much to my beta Dani, without whom this chapter would probably not be as good! I know it, because she made a LOT of changes to this chapter. I'm embarrassed by how much she changed, actually xD lol! The price of huge chapters, I suppose.

Next chapter: last Order meeting before school starts! There's gonna be lots to talk about ;)


	17. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

* * *

><p>There had never before been so much tension in an Order meeting. Only Dumbledore, at the head of the table, seemed perfectly at ease, blue eyes twinkling merrily as always. Everyone had to wonder if the man was even aware of the drama that had been cooking up since their last meeting.<p>

While she normally sat beside her husband and his friends, Lily Potter was now sitting beside Severus. She was still highly upset with her son for several reasons. Between Harry going behind her back to bond with Severus, giving her no information about the night he didn't come home, and his recent request from his father, she had never been more disappointed in her son. Then there was James who encouraged all of his nonsense! James defended Harry whenever their son dropped even the tiniest hints of wanting to throw himself into this war. Lily had also been alerted to James and Sirius's little 'visit' to Severus the day they discovered that he had bonded with Harry. Even the little insults James muttered under his breath about her best friend weren't reason enough to abandon her usual seat. The action that really set things in motion was James agreeing to sign off on charmed bands for Harry and Hermione that would protect them from their soul mates.

The bands were gray in color and elastic. This particular brand was designed to ward the wearer against a particular person while there was a black one that warded against people in general. The black ones tended to cause many problems, were highly expensive and, therefore, only used in extreme cases. The ones Harry and Hermione had been given would protect them from one to three different people. Then only against physical contact and minor spells. Most magic cast by the person would still get through. They were given mainly to people who were being stalked or the Aurors had reason to believe a person could be under attack. Since they didn't ward against magic, they weren't very often requested. There were even people who joked about people who wore them fearing to be clobbered by Muggles. When the person the band was warded against was nearby, it would glow blue, and if they were too close, it would become red.

Knowing about these items, Hermione had suggested that she and Harry get them. Both feared the physical intimacy their bonds inspired. These bands could very well protect them from its call. It may not ward off their own hunger but it would at least keep them from doing anything stupid. That was at least the theory, though neither was willing to go near their soul mates without reason to find out. Hermione had been devastated by the loss of her virginity to Draco Malfoy while Harry was disturbed by the strength of his desire for Severus Snape. They didn't have to give James many details, as the Auror understood well why they might fear Malfoy or Snape harming them.

Lily thought it was a stupid thing to fear so she had spent a lot of time defending Draco and Severus.

Severus looked far too smug with the new seating arrangements, now and then shooting pleased looks to James who would grit his teeth and refused to look their direction.

Sirius and Remus also seemed to be having troubles. After the after party for the bond, Remus had yelled at Sirius for sleeping with Lucius Malfoy. It was a huge fight that almost turned physical, and, luckily, Tonks, Lily, James, Harry, Hermione, and Grace had been around to get between them. Sirius told Remus that it was none of his business where he stuck his knob while Remus thought it was a shitty thing of Sirius to do, screwing a married man in the house where he lived with his wife. _Especially_ considering the wife was Sirius's own cousin. Remus had now taken a new seat beside Tonks while Sirius remained on the other side of James. They, also, refused to look in each other's direction.

Cedric had joined the Order because of Neville and now both wizards were sitting rather uncomfortably by each other, their whole friendship, if that's what it was, rather awkward with the knowledge that they were soul mates and Neville's obvious feelings for Cedric. Ron was being pressured by Tim Abbott to marry Hannah, if he was going to bond with her. His parents hated the thought of him marrying and bonding so young. Aside from all of that, he was dealing with irritation and jealousy over Hermione's bonding to Draco. Moody was upset over welcoming Death Eaters with open arms, Tonks seemed nervous about something, the new members didn't seem to know what to expect, and even those without their own personal issues seemed to find themselves caught up in everyone else's drama.

"So, what is first on the agenda?" Dumbledore asked.

"I _would_ tell you about recent Death Eater arrests but, since we're becoming the best of buddies with these criminals, it probably doesn't matter," Moody grunted.

"Here we go again," Kingsley sighed.

"Scrimgeour ordered us to arrest Stanley Stunpike Tuesday," James said, rubbing his hands over his face. "Sort of hard to go against the man's orders since it's our job. We figured it didn't hurt to look into it, _just in case_ it was true, but we were so busy trying to haul him off, we missed an opportunity at Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. We're also getting the necessary paperwork to do another investigation of Malfoy Manor, which should go through by Monday."

"Should we be collecting Dark objects while we're at it?" Moody snapped. His irritation over providing security for the Malfoys as well as missing an opportunity to apprehend _real_ Death Eaters had left him in a worse mood than usual.

"Alastor," Dumbledore said warningly.

The rest of the meeting went by relatively smoothly. Moody's comments kept to muttering under his breath where everyone else ignored him. They weren't making much progress on capturing any Death Eaters. Voldemort was still trying to work his way to power over the Ministry. The werewolves all seemed to be pledging their allegiance to Voldemort. There wasn't very much news to offer. Voldemort may have been angry over his lack of progress but the Order didn't seem to be getting very much done, either. Information was harder and harder to come by.

"And where are we on the subject of soul mates?" Dumbledore asked with a small smile once everyone had finished giving their reports. "Molly?"

Molly Weasley stood up, beaming. "As you know, Arthur and I bonded last night." She paused and just smiled as various people called out their congratulations. "Charlie is back in Romania for another month but he did discover that Daphne Greengrass is his soul mate. They'll discuss more about bonding when he visits again. Percy couldn't be here because he is in another meeting, though he did want me to tell you that Oliver Wood is his soul mate and he will discuss bonding with him later. Hmmm…Let's see, what else...Oh, yes, Ginny is still thinking about whether or not she wants to bond with Blaise Zabini. Arthur and I aren't very sure if we want her to bond at all, if you'll understand, but we are talking about it."

"Very good," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Ron?"

"Err…Hannah and I are still…talking about it…with her dad," Ron muttered, looking pale at the thought of having to marry Hannah. Hermione, well aware of his dilemma because of Ginny, snorted. Ron shot her a glare that Hermione pretended to not notice.

Dumbledore nodded. "James? Lily?"

Lily reluctantly glanced at her husband who offered her a small smile. Severus made a noise of disgust as Lily couldn't help but smile back at him. "Ahem," James said. "Well…Lils and I have been practicing. We weren't really sure what we were looking for, at first, but we started noticing a difference in things."

"Such as?"

"The first thing I noticed," Lily said, "was that I don't become as exhausted as quickly whenever we're casting a lot of magic. Some of the spells we used were a bit stronger. Jamie brought me to the Auror training office for some of our practices. We disarmed a few dummies and they smashed clear through a wall!"

"We're still working on how to not go so overboard all the time," James added with a grin.

"We also noticed that the things we each excel in, the other isn't so good at," Lily added.

"Oh really?" Dumbledore said with a knowing smile.

"Mhm," Lily said. "We're both rather good at Defense so we didn't notice it at first. But James is such a good flier and I don't really need to be on a broom if I can help it. The same can be said for potions. I'm very good with them but I wouldn't let Jamie near a cauldron if my life depended on it."

Severus mouthed the name "Jamie" and shook his head.

"So we've found we do much better in _those_ areas as well," Lily said. "James has always been great on a broom, but…I've never seen him fly so well in my life!"

"And I'm starting to think Lils can give Sni—Snape a run for his money in the potions department," James added. "If you ever need a new potions master or, rather, mistress, I guess, you know who to call."

"Oh, hush, James," Lily said with a smile. "I'm perfectly happy with my shop, thank you very much."

The shop was a small building in Godric's Hollow that Lily worked at with her old friend, Mary Macdonald. The two had always talked about keeping such a shop when they were in Hogwarts, and when Lily and James went missing, and were believed to be dead, Mary opened the shop in honor of her friend. When Lily came back, and was mentally stable enough to be out in society, Mary happily offered her a job there. It was a charm shop where they created and sold charmed objects and even did specialty orders for people. In the past couple of years, they had expanded the business to include other things, such as warding people's homes with protective charms. It was a subject that Lily had excelled in and the business had been booming since she joined. It was fun work for Lily and she couldn't imagine a better job. She was lucky to have found work doing something she enjoyed doing so much. As well as she did with potions, she didn't want Severus's job.

"I'm just trying to offer my compliments to my beautiful wife," James said with his charming smile in place.

"I'm still mad at you," Lily grinned.

"You can be mad at me over here, you know," James said, scooting his chair back and patting his lap. Lily just grinned and shook her head at him while Dumbledore cleared his throat. James and Lily blushed, muttering apologies. Harry was a bit embarrassed by his parents' obvious adoration of each other in front of so many people. Severus was fuming.

"Ahem. Have you noticed anything else?" Dumbledore asked.

"Hmm…I don't think so," Lily replied. "I thought what we did accomplish was rather amazing."

"Yes, it is," Dumbledore said with a smile. "What you mentioned about disarming, though…Perhaps you can work on control with the spells that react the same way to see if you can control the strength of the spells you are using."

"We will," James promised.

"Now…Remus? Sirius?"

Neither man looked up, too worried about accidentally catching the other's eye. Remus, at least, spoke. "Ahem. We didn't quite have the same success as Lily and James. More of the opposite, really. We both attempted to cast the Patronus charm and it failed."

"It failed?" Dumbledore asked, eyebrows raised. Almost everyone in the Order knew how to cast a Patronus and, of everyone, Remus had been one of the best at producing one.

"Yes," Remus replied. "Errr…We managed to make something happen but it was non-corporeal and it never lasted very long."

"Hmmm," Dumbledore said quietly. "At the time, were there any problems between you and Sirius?"

There was a long, uncomfortable silence in which several people in the room exchanged awkward glances. Others seemed confused by the tension. Not everyone knew about Sirius's hook up with Lucius Malfoy but, to those who did, it was the first thing on their minds. Only Remus and Sirius were aware that the incident involving the Patronuses took place _before_ that day. They certainly hadn't spoken a word to each other since their fight afterwards, let alone be anywhere near each other to practice.

"At the time," Remus said, "no. Not that I can think of."

"Hmm," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Perhaps try again soon. If you continue having issues, come see me and I'll see if I can figure out what the problem might be."

"Don't think that'll do much good, Albus," Sirius said, still staring at the wall. "Seeing as how there are issues between us _now_."

"Ahh…I take it that is why there was an emphasis on 'at the time' then," Dumbledore said with some amusement. "I'm sure it is nothing that can't be worked through."

Sirius snorted. "Doubt that very much."

"You shouldn't even have anything to say about it, seeing as how it's your fault," Remus muttered.

"_My_ fault? How is this _my_ fault?" Sirius snapped, turning to glare at his old friend.

"Oh brother," James muttered.

"Sirius! Remus! Shut up," Lily hissed.

"You know exactly how it's your fault! I still can't believe you'd do something like that!"

"Are we still on about that? It's over, Remus! Get over it! You're not my bloody wife!"

"Good thing too, seeing as how little respect you have for _marriage_!"

"It's not your marriage! Why are you so interested in it?"

"Because I thought you were a better man than that! Guess being around all of those rotten criminals in _Azkaban_ rubbed off on you."

"Don't even _go_ there, Remus. I've been out of there for years. This has nothing to do with that! If…_certain people_…don't care about their own marriage, that's _their_ business! Not mine!"

"So if Lily wanted to screw around on James, you'd jump in on that opportunity?"

"Remus!" Lily exclaimed in shock.

"No! James is my best mate! I don't bloody care about the Malfoys!"

"Malfoy?" Moody snapped. "You're shagging Narcissa Malfoy?"

"_Lucius_ Malfoy," Remus hissed.

"Merlin's balls," Ron whispered.

"Ronald!" Molly snapped.

Sirius's face was red. "Thank you for shouting out the particulars of my private life."

"You should have thought of that before asking me to cover for you while you buggered someone's husband!"

"Wait. Lucius Malfoy?" Harry asked, stunned.

"I don't know why so many of you are shocked. Most of you know how much of a slut Lucius is," Severus muttered.

"Oh, you've been there, have you?" Harry snorted.

"Yes, I have," Severus said with a smirk.

"Gross," Harry cringed.

"He _begged_ me for it! Would have been rude to deny the man," Sirius spat. "Don't see why you care when you've got your own little fucktoy hanging all over you."

"Hey!" Tonks cried out, face burning bright pink while her hair turned an angry red.

"Don't talk about her like that. This doesn't even have anything to do with Tonks!"

"I just don't see how you're any better than I am, stringing the girl along that way! Everyone knows how obsessed she is with you, and you're just using her! You've already admitted you don't feel that way about her yet, there she is, still clinging to your arm like some lovesick _fool_! And you're just letting it happen! We all know why, don't we, Remus? Because you're scared! You're scared of being my soul mate and you think you need to date some girl so you don't look like you take it up the arse."

"But _you_ were taking it from a _Death Eater_," Moody growled.

"_Giving_ it, thank you very much," Sirius replied.

"My relationship with Tonks is none of your concern!"

"And my…arrangement…with Lucius is none of yours!"

"Oh, so it's an arrangement now?"

"What part of none of your business are you not understanding?"

"ENOUGH!"

The room fell completely silent as Dumbledore stood. The twinkle was gone from his blue eyes. They rarely saw him quite so serious. "I have said before," he said calmly, "that private matters should remain just that. Now, let's continue with this meeting. You're free to continue your argument when we are finished."

"Sorry, Albus," Remus said quietly.

"Sorry," Sirius said.

Dumbledore slowly sat back down and the meeting resumed. Bill and Fleur discussed their progress with their bond, having similar strengths as James and Lily had pointed out. In the end, announcing their pregnancy. Emmeline Vance announced that she discovered that her own soul mate was a German wizard who spoke no English and that she intended to find something that would work between them soon. Neville and Cedric declared that they had bonded only the day before, a announcement that left Neville's face red and a smile on Cedric's lips. Kingsley knew his soul mate, but didn't want to share the information just yet. Tonks revealed that she had found her soul mate, a boy named Bradley Hooper who was only six years old, to her embarrassment.

Quite a few members laughed though most had the decency to try to hide it. Sirius muttered under his breath, "Looks like Snape isn't the only pedophile around here." Luckily, only James, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Neville seemed to have heard him and of them. Only James, Harry, and Ron thought it was amusing enough to laugh hysterically over it. Everyone shot them odd looks and the three sucked in deep breaths, trying to calm themselves down.

"Harry and Severus?" Dumbledore finally said.

"We try to stay away from each other as much as possible," Harry muttered.

"Ah," said Dumbledore. "I know you do not get along very well but it is essential that you work on your bond."

"I don't think that is a good idea, Albus," Severus said.

"It is one of my better ideas, I believe, Severus," Dumbledore replied with a small smile. "I know you have issues at the moment but you must work through them. You chose to bond for a reason but you must know that the existence of the bond alone will not be enough. It could, in all reality, be detrimental if you do not attempt to be civil and work together."

"Forgive me, but I believe the only thing _detrimental _about this would be to force me to spend any more time with that brat than I have to," Severus snarled.

"Severus!" a shocked Lily said.

"I don't exactly want to work with that greasy git, either," Harry mumbled.

"Harry!" Lily snapped warningly.

"I don't want him alone with my son," James declared.

"I'll curse your prick off if you touch him, Snivellus," Sirius growled.

"Stop it, this instant! I've had enough of the remarkable immaturity you have all shown," Dumbledore said gravely. "I will tolerate no more of it. Harry, Severus, you _will_ work together. I'm sure you can find reason to give Harry detention, Severus."

"I'm sure Mr. Potter will find a way to land in detention," Severus replied.

"Bastard," Harry muttered.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "You will meet at least once a week and report to me if you learn anything about the bond."

"Yes, sir," Harry and Severus reluctantly agreed.

"Hermione?" Dumbledore said.

"Errr…I haven't really…ahem…been around Draco much since our bonding," Hermione said.

"And you will change this, won't you?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

"I…Of course. Yes," Hermione said weakly.

The last two people called upon were those who were willing to find their soul mate. Unfortunately, the results left a good number of people in tears. Elphias Doge's results came up with Dorcas Meadowes. She had died with her young son, who had been only a year older than Grace at the time, in the Death Eater prison Lily and James had spent years in. Those who had known her, which were most of the people in the room, looked pale. Marlene and Lily wiping tears from their eyes. Severus immediately pulled Lily into his arms when she buried her face in her hands. James looked too upset himself to care that Snape was touching his wife. Elphias squeaked out an apology while Dumbledore held out his hand and shook his head, wordlessly letting him know that such apologies were unneeded.

Marlene McKinnon went as soon as she dried her tears. To her horror, her results came back with the name of Gideon Prewett. Gideon had also died in the same prison on the night of the mass outbreak. Fabian, his brother, had come out alive but had been murdered mysteriously in Ottery St. Catchpole before he could reach the house that his sister and her family lived in. They had no links to the murderer though everyone knew it must have been one of the Death Eater guards. The reminder of her brother had Molly whimpering with her husband and sons coming all around her to comfort her. Marlene, another escapee of the prison, trembled horribly and had to be escorted out of the room by Elphias.

"G-Gideon woul-would have been s-so h-happy," Molly sobbed, wiping her eyes furiously. "Ahh…He did have a liking for Marlene."

"They would have been perfect together," agreed Lily, sniffling and wiping her eyes while Severus continued to stroke her back soothingly. She pulled away from him but he continued to offer his comforting touch, looking at her with concern. Harry glared at them, though neither seemed to notice. It irritated him that the stupid git was so obviously still in love with his mother. _If only she knew what you had been up to with me_, Harry thought, rolling his eyes. Lily wouldn't be so fond of him then.

"They were all very good people. It was a great loss to us that they are gone now," Dumbledore said quietly. "We must keep them in our minds and in our hearts as a reminder. They died for this cause and it would dishonor their memories not to give our all into it."

"So…umm…Mad-Eye," said Fred.

"Didn't you have something to say?" George asked.

Moody glared at the twins. "No."

"We couldn't help but overhear you the other day," Fred grinned.

"And we just so happened to find…" said George.

"Well, we were snooping, really."

"But we read your…results."

"You should share them."

"Sharing is caring, mate."

"Shut up, the both of you," Moody growled.

"Yes, Alastor, why don't you tell everyone your results," Severus encouraged with a smirk. He had been the one to help him with it, after all, as Dumbledore had been busy at the time.

"I know a few curses that'll send you crying to your mother!" Moody barked.

"MUM!" Fred and George screamed dramatically in unison. Arthur leaned back in his chair as Fred leaned across him to throw his arms around Molly's neck. Molly dabbed her eyes while George kissed one of her wet cheeks. Harry had a feeling they were trying to use humor to distract her and cheer her up. Or at least distract her from being so sad. He wasn't so sure how well they could cheer her up. "Save us!"

"He's going to curse us!"

"And make us cry!"

"And all we want to do is make him be honest with himself!"

"Like real friends."

"Because we really like Moody."

"Even if his soul mate is B—"

"QUIET!" Moody shouted, glaring at them.

Fred and George were silent for a moment. Everyone watched them as they remained frozen, only their eyes flickering all around the room, always coming back to look at each other then their mother before looking all around again.

"Bellatrix Lestrange!" they both said quickly.

"Not bloody likely. The whole system is broken," Moody muttered.

Everyone just stared at him.

"Bellatrix Lestrange?" Sirius finally said.

"At least I'm not sticking my prick near that crazy bint," Moody snapped.

"I didn't stick my knob anywhere near her, thank you," Sirius said, glaring at him.

"No, just other Death Eaters. _Male_ ones are your preference, aren't they?"

Sirius looked ready to respond but glanced at Dumbledore and sat back in his seat, mumbling under his breath.

"Ahem. So…needless to say _that_ won't be happening," Lily said.

"Damn right, it's not," Moody muttered. He then glared at the twins. "I'll be having a word with the both of you later."

"Sorry, can't do later," said Fred.

"We already have…"

"…the next several…"

"…_years_…"

"…planned out…"

"…but feel free…"

"…to make an appointment," they finished together with wide smiles.

Moody stared at them for a long moment. The twins just kept looking back at him, still wearing their big smiles. "I'll find you," Moody finally grunted.

"Well, if that's going to be all for today…" Dumbledore said.

Cedric nudged Neville. The younger wizard looked stricken, but with an encouraging nod from his soul mate, Neville swallowed hard and sat up straight. "Erm…I actually had a…a question."

"Yes, Neville?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well…I was…I was just thinking," Neville said. "Cedric and I…We read that book a lot, that Hermione leant us. The one on bonds. And…Well…We've done a lot of research…It's just…They mentioned that umm…"

Neville didn't look ready to finish so Cedric rested a hand on his arm and smiled at him. "The chapter on Soul Bonds talks about the different levels of connection the bond will create, one being a mental level. Soul mates who are bonded can also…what was it? Help each other better than anyone else could. So Neville…and I…were thinking…We were wondering if it was possible that…Just…If we found his parents' soul mates…and they're not each other, but someone who _could_ do it…If they would be able to help Frank and Alice."

Dumbledore blinked in surprise. Everyone else looked between Cedric, Neville, and Dumbledore curiously. No one dared to speak, waiting anxiously for the answer.

"I cannot be sure," Dumbledore finally said. "I would assume it only referred to things such as Legilimency or things related to that. As there has not been many recorded studies of mental links within the bond, it, it's something that would be worth trying. But I cannot promise you anything, Neville, I am sorry."

Neville nodded wordlessly while Cedric shot Dumbledore a grateful smile. "Thank you. We…Well, I think we'd like to try it, at least."

No one dared voice how hopeless it actually appeared, as Neville already seemed to be in a delicate mood over the touchy subject. There was too much working against it. What if Frank and Alice _were_ soul mates? What if their actual soul mates were dead, Death Eaters, insane, children, or not even born? Even if their soul mates were sane, willing, adult wizards, what was to say they could even work with the mind in such a way as to be able to help? If such a thing was even possible?

Dumbledore nodded to the wizards and stood up. "If that is all, this meeting is finished. You may feel free to resume your squabbling."

The twins were the first ones out of the door and Moody was not far behind them. Everyone else slowly started standing up to leave, as well. Lily leaned in to give Severus one last hug before turning to join her husband. Severus watched her go, barely aware that he was being approached until Harry Potter was standing right in front of him. Hermione and Ron hovered nearby while everyone else left, watching the duo with concern.

"Yes, Potter?" Severus snapped.

Harry was surprised to hear the man's voice, even more so to learn that he had approached the man. What the bloody hell was wrong with him? "Err…So…What are we going to do?" he asked not wanting to have to deal with the awkwardness of telling Snape that he wasn't sure why he was here, and that he had a feeling the bond was still trying to draw them together.

"Go to our respective homes I would imagine," Severus drawled.

"Right," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "I mean about Hogwarts. We're not actually going to…to meet up or anything, are we?"

"I don't believe the headmaster left us with a choice."

"I just…It's pointless. We're never going to get along or anything," Harry said.

"Be that as it may, the headmaster insists that we make some…progress…with this bond. You needn't worry, Potter. You have your little band to protect you, don't you?" Severus reached out as if to touch the band but his hand failed to go any further. It glowed a vibrant red around Harry's wrist. He then raised his eyebrows at his student pointedly, as if he had just proven something.

"Okay then," Harry muttered. "Guess I'll see you at school then."

"Undoubtedly."

Harry walked over to his friends, mentally berating himself for not paying attention and letting the bond act up. It had to be the bond. Harry couldn't imagine any other reason why a person would choose to get close to the bastard. He was a bit surprised to realize that Hermione and Ron were waiting for him. It had been so long since he had seen them both together, even longer since they weren't glaring or snapping at each other. They weren't exactly playing nice but they did share a common concern for their friend.

"Alright, Harry?" Ron asked.

"I'm fine, Ron," Harry replied, nodding to the door then walking out of it with his best friends on either side of him.

"What was that about, mate?"

"Just wanted to know if Snape had any ideas for getting out of Dumbledore's idea of quality time," Harry mumbled.

"It's Professor Dumbledore, Harry," Hermione sighed miserably. "Otherwise, I would be glad to come up with a reason to stay as far from Dra-_Malfoy_ as possible."

"Trouble in paradise already?" Ron snorted.

"Shouldn't you be out buying a ring for Hannah, Ronald?" Hermione retorted coldly.

"Can't you two get along for two seconds?" Harry mumbled.

"Sorry, mate," Ron said. "Err…Wanna go to your place and play Quidditch? Um…Hermione can keep score."

Uncertain blue eyes turned towards Hermione. Harry only glanced at her, noting her thoughtful, yet irritated, expression before looking away. He didn't want to pressure her. It wouldn't be fair to ask her and Ron to hang out again after everything they had been though, even though it was hard to have two best friends who were so against each other.

"I'll try," Hermione finally said as they walked into the living room where a few people were just flooing out.

"Great," Ron said with a grin. Harry couldn't help but feel as they approached the fireplace that Ron hadn't looked so happy since before he had ended things with Hermione. He also couldn't help but notice that Hermione hadn't looked so nervous since her bonding with Malfoy.

Just across the living room, Tonks was pulling Remus aside. "Remus, I need to tell you something."

"Are you okay?" Remus asked. "If it's about Sirius…"

"It's not," she said with a weak smile. "It's about us."

"Oh," Remus said. He wasn't sure what to expect. Part of him was hopeful that she was finally going to end things, while another part of him dreaded the thought. Sadly, it had more to do with petty reasons involving Sirius, though Remus wasn't entirely sure why he should care about Remus's relationship with Tonks. Or why he himself cared about Sirius's relationship with Malfoy Sr.

"I'm…I'm pregnant," Tonks finally said.

A nearby door slammed shut and Sirius leaned against the entranceway. To most people he looked calm but Remus noticed the way he tapped his foot, how the arms crossed over his chest tensed and relaxed as well as the fury burning in his gray eyes. Remus swallowed hard. It took Tonks tugging on his sleeve to drag his attention away from his soul mate.

"Remus?" Tonks said.

Remus glanced back up at Sirius, unable to help himself. Tonks sighed heavily and glared over her shoulder at him. "Do you mind? This is a personal conversation."

"This is my house," Sirius replied, the slightest of trembles in his otherwise smooth voice. He couldn't quite tear his eyes away from Remus, either.

Tonks shook her head and turned back to Remus. "So?"

"So?" Remus repeated, turning his eyes back to her. The words were still twirling around in his head, yet to settle in.

"I'm pregnant," Tonks repeated patiently. "Look, I don't expect anything from you. I know you're too honorable to just…ignore your child. But if you wanted to…Well, I wouldn't blame you. And I don't expect anything to become of us. I just…Thought you should know. I found out today and all."

"Right," Remus said.

"I'm pregnant," Tonks said again.

"Yes."

"Pregnant."

"Mhm."

"Having a child."

"A baby."

"Yes, _your_ baby."

"Oh," Remus said, heart and stomach both sinking to the floor. "Wow."

"Yeah," Tonks said, laughing nervously.

"I…I really don't know what to say right now," Remus admitted. He didn't even know what to _think_ right now.

"That's alright," Tonks said. "Just…Talk to me when you're ready."

"Yeah…I'll do that."

Tonks gave his arm a squeeze, a kiss to his cheek then turned to walk to the fireplace. She stumbled halfway there and caught herself on the back of the couch. Giggling at her clumsiness, she glanced over her shoulder at Remus to find that he was back to staring at Sirius. The smile on her face slowly faded. Remus was just upset. He didn't know what to think about this. Considering his talk with her about their relationship, she wouldn't be surprised if it was a tough bit of news to swallow. As much as she cared about him, she honestly had no intention of making him commit to her just because of a baby. She had her hopes but she would try not to dwell on them while she waited on Remus to get back to her. Sending a glare in Sirius's direction, hoping he wouldn't give Remus too much trouble, Tonks finally grabbed a bit of floo powder and went back home.

It was several minutes before Remus finally managed to tear his eyes away from his best friend, turning to go home as well. In the silence, Sirius watched him go.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Don't forget to like my FB page! Just search for my penname, Danniperson! It's a great place to find updates on all of my stories and to discuss our love for snarry (or most slash, I guess lol) in general! 22 likes so far, I think that's pretty cool for a fanfic writer! Thanks so much to everyone who's joined!

Thanks also to all of my amazing reviewers: xXxElectraxXx, Tokugawa Blitzer, autumngold, ashuraou, Belladonna1185, monkeygirl66, Anniriel, AstrophobicChick, veronik, Sirius-dorkis010, AlmondWithUnicornHair, da-blk-saiyangirl, Lady DestinyHope, ieatmyfeelings, Nocturnal Rose, Pandesme, and dogsby!

Big thanks to Dani for being my amazingful beta!

Next chapter: It's back to Hogwarts!


	18. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

* * *

><p>As he approached the Potter residence, Remus caught sight of two small figures in the sky, flying around. Somehow, even from this distance, he knew it was James and Sirius. He could even tell which one was which. He had seen the two flying together too many times for too many years not to know it. Knowing Sirius was there gave him pause. He stood on the walkway of Radburry Lane, considering going back home, sending an owl with his apologies to Lily, saying that he was sick and would meet with her another day. He may have been in Gryffindor during his Hogwarts days but Remus wasn't sure where all of his strength and courage had gone. Surely nowhere to be found. At least not anywhere Sirius Black was.<p>

He actually turned and was ready to walk back the way he had come but turned back and reluctantly continued his walk. Lily would likely try to check up on him if he claimed to be sick. Why hadn't he just Flooed in? He wouldn't have noticed Sirius at all. But that would have been a nasty surprise had James and Sirius walked in as he wouldn't have known his soul mate was anywhere around. Maybe they would stay outside. Lily knew how strained their relationship was now. That is, unless she wanted to try to force them to work things out. Remus pushed that thought from his head, knowing it was very likely to happen one day and hoping to Merlin that wasn't today.

It took five more minutes of slower walking for Remus to reach the front door of 12 Radburry Lane, knocking quietly. Several seconds later, Lily Potter opened the door and Remus frowned at her. "Lily, what's wrong? What happened?"

The normally vibrant young witch had rarely looked so down in her life. How pink her eyes looked, how wet with tears, and the sniffling of her nose left no doubt that she had been crying. She wore a sad smile as she stepped aside to let Remus in. Concerned eyes still watching her, Remus stepped into the house, waiting for Lily to close the door and lead him into the living room. She said nothing as she sat down on the couch, waving to the mess on the coffee table. Remus took a good look at the open photo albums, scrap books, and journals as he sat down beside her.

"I felt like such a crybaby at King's Cross," Lily said quietly, grabbing a tissue to wipe her nose. "I wasn't the only mother like that but I had thought I would be stronger. It's just…It's Harry's last year, you know? He's seventeen."

Remus nodded slowly, glancing from the table to Lily's beautiful face.

"He always seems so young, Remus," Lily continued. "Too young to be bonded to Severus. Too young to be _married_. D'you know Ron married Hannah a few days ago? He's Harry's age! How can he be married? I don't know how Molly stands it." Lily wiped her eyes and settled back into the couch, just staring miserably at all of her books on the table. "God. And he's trying to save the world! He's much too young. I always thought about how young he was. Too young to run off saving the Philosopher's Stone. Too young to kill a basilisk. Too young to face murderers or compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, let alone win it!, or…or to deal with any of these things. He's too young to hunt Horcruxes or involve himself in a war. He's much too young, Remus.

"Then, today, I was struck by how _old_ he is! Old enough to be in his last year of Hogwarts. He'll graduate in less than a year. Then he'll go off to university or job training, he'll start a career, meet a nice girl, get married, have kids, and…God, when did he get to be so old? It seems like only yesterday the healer was putting him into my arms. He was such a cute baby." At this, Lily leaned forward, gently caressing the picture of a squirming newborn Harry. "So…I came home. Out of some morbid sense of masochism, I decided to look through these and…and I realized how much we _missed. _We missed potty training, his first day of school, birthdays, Christmases…We missed eight long years of his life. Eight years of my son spent being made to feel less than human. I'm missing eight years of my son's life, and now…Now…He'll be gone soon. But he's still my baby, and I don't think I'm ready for this, Remus."

Midway through her explanation, Lily's voice broke, just barely keeping in her sobs enough to speak. When she finished, though, she curled up at the end of the couch again, burying her face in her hands again while she sobbed. Remus mentally cursed James for going flying with Sirius when his wife was in such a state then he scooted over to pull Lily into his arms. She easily unwound her arms from herself and threw them around Remus, burying her face in his neck as she cried. Her body trembled as Remus carefully stroked his hand down her back in a soothing fashion.

"Shh, Lily, it's okay," Remus whispered. "He'll always be here, Lily. He may become a man sooner than you like but he'll always be your son, he'll always love you, and he'll always come to see you and James. That boy loves you, Lily. You're not losing him."

"It…It feels like it," Lily murmured. "We missed so much, Remus. So much of his life. Of his childhood. We were gone for eight years. We missed eight years of his life. He's grown up too fast. I just want my baby back."

Remus's heart broke for her as he hugged her closer. It was hard to comfort her like this. What could he say that was remotely comforting about her seven years in captivity? About her year in a mental health unit? About Harry's eight miserable years with the Dursleys? James and Lily had done their best to move on with their lives, to not dwell over what could have been or what should have been so they could enjoy what time they were able to have with their children and each other. It seemed Lily had succumbed to those horrible thoughts and Remus had to wonder how often she had done this. How often had she looked through old photo albums, wondering where the time had gone and wondering about what was missing from the pages.

He could only remember seeing her this way one other time.

"_Grace is asking questions,"_ she had said unhappily. _"Where are her baby pictures? Why didn't her aunt and uncle give us any of Harry's pictures? Why didn't they __**have**__ pictures of Harry?_ _There's such a noticeable time gap in the albums." _She had begun tugging at her hair while tears streamed down her pale face.

"_She doesn't remember?" _Remus had asked in confusion.

Lily had smiled sadly. _"No. She doesn't."_

That had been within the first month the Potters had been reunited and in their new home. Remus later discovered that, while at St. Mungo's just before their release, Lily and James agreed that they wanted Grace's memory wiped. She had been too sullen of a child at the age of five. She was too shy, too unhappy, still suffering from too many nightmares. They wanted her to be happy, didn't want her to have to deal with everything she had been through. It had been a suggestion of the child healer who had been watching over Grace that year. They spent a week modifying her memory so that she remembered nothing but life in the hospital. They told her that her parents had been very ill for a long time and that she had been sick, too. That Harry had been made to live with the Dursleys for his protection so that he wouldn't get sick with them.

The truth would have to come out one day. Thinking of irresponsible, fun-loving, living-life-without-a-care-in-the-world Grace, Remus could barely imagine how she would react to the news. Luckily, they had at least a few years before she would have to know.

They liked to live life forgetting that horrible time period. Remus didn't blame them. Perhaps it wasn't very healthy to go on ignoring that part of their lives but it seemed to be the only way they could cope and they did so beautifully. One might never have known they spent seven years of their lives trapped in a Death Eater prison, being tortured and raped on a daily basis. They barely seemed to remember themselves most days.

But there were days like these, few and far between. Days when it was all Lily could seem to think about. What she had suffered through and everything she had been forced to miss out on. None of the pain, being stripped of her freedom, none of the starvation or violation mattered as much as the time she missed with her children. Nothing mattered as much to her as what they had been made to go through. Sometimes Remus thought she even felt guilty about it all, even though it wasn't her fault.

"Gosh, I'm so sorry, Remus," Lily said after several minutes of crying. She pulled away from him and wiped her eyes while Remus pulled away only slightly to get a good look at her.

"It's fine, Lily. Are you alright?" Remus asked.

"Yes…I think so," Lily replied, sniffing some more. "Merlin, I don't know what I'll do when he actually _graduates_." She laughed shakily and reached out to close one of the photo albums.

"I doubt you'll be the only mother in tears," Remus assured her with a small smile. "My mother was hysterical at our graduation. Remember?"

Lily laughed. "Oh gosh, yes. I don't know who was worse, your mum or Peter's."

"Even Augusta Longbottom shed a few tears," Remus recalled with amusement. "She was very calm about the whole thing. I think they were more tears of pride rather than tears shed by mothers who would be perfectly happy putting their children back into cribs."

"I remember that," Lily giggled. "She was sitting right beside Mrs. Pettigrew and kept giving her strange looks."

"I literally thought that woman was going to cry herself to an early death," Remus mused, shaking his head.

"I won't be that bad," Lily vowed, stacking her albums and books on top of each other. "At least I don't think I will be."

"Let's hope not, unless you want Mrs. Longbottom giving you dirty looks," Remus said.

"Hmm…I think not," Lily said. When everything on the table was in a stack, she stood, picked them up, and carried them across the room to put them back on the bookshelf she had taken them from. Remus watched her carefully to make sure she was really okay, prepared to offer more comforting words if need be or to even pick on her a bit if she needed some humor. Before he could really decide what to do next, Lily cleared her throat and spoke with her back still to him, putting everything in its place. "You'll be there for your child's graduation, won't you?"

"What ch-…Oh," Remus said. For a long moment, he was stumped. It was still hard to think about the fact that he was going to be a father. He hadn't seen Tonks since her announcement but, for once, when he had gone to her house to assure her that he would be a part of the baby's life but that he wasn't sure how he felt about her or what to do about their relationship. Tonks was perfectly understanding, for which Remus was grateful, but he still couldn't quite wrap his mind around the fact that he was going to have a son or daughter in less than a year. "Well…I'd imagine so. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I didn't mean anything by it," Lily said, fiddling around with random books for a moment before turning back to him with a small smile. "It's just…I don't quite know how to say it."

"Say what?"

Lily hesitated then slowly moved closer and sat beside him once again. "I know you're a good man, Remus. You're one of the best men I know," she assured him. "I know you'll be there for your child. I don't know why I needed to be reassured of that." Lily scoffed at herself then shook her head. "Only…I don't know, Remus. You should be a dad to your child but that doesn't mean you have to be a husband to Tonks. You know that, don't you?"

"Wh…What? Of course! I wasn't planning on proposing or anything," Remus said, shocked the subject had even come up.

Lily just smiled and rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, Remus. You don't have to be with her because he's having your baby."

Tonks had gone out of her way to assure him of that. Before he could get in a word when he went to her house the other day, she spent a good half hour or more telling him that she didn't expect anything of him. She loved him, yes, and wanted to be with him but he didn't have to be with her just because they were having a child together. Remus had barely given it any thought at the time, or since. The most he could think about was his impending fatherhood.

Thinking about it, though, Remus felt badly. It was bad enough he had sex with Tonks when he didn't know how he felt about her but he had knocked her up, too! Was it even fair to keep going as they were with this new addition on the way? He didn't want his baby to be born into such a dysfunctional relationship. Children should be born to two people who loved each other and wanted to be together forever. Babies only needed to arrive when their parents were married and could provide a stable life for them. Didn't Remus owe it to both Tonks and their child to give the relationship a real chance?

The very thought filled him with dread.

"I don't?" he said quietly.

"No, you don't," Lily said, patting his leg. "Though I should scold you for _sleeping with her_ when you're like this! But, no, you shouldn't make yourself unhappy because of this. And I know you could never be happy with Tonks."

"Couldn't I?" Remus asked. "I mean…She's a lovely woman. She's a very good person. She's nice, funny, strong, beautiful, giving…How could I be unhappy with her?"

Lily shot him an irritated look. "You don't love her."

"I _could_," Remus said. For some reason, as he thought of Tonks, Sirius also came to mind. Disturbed, Remus shook his head and tried to force the thought away.

"Dear Merlin help me," Lily groaned. "Remus, if you talk yourself into this I'll kick your arse. Do you understand me?"

"I should at least give her a shot," Remus said.

"No! You shouldn't!" Lily exclaimed. "You're not even really interested in her."

"That doesn't mean anything, Lily. She's the mother of my child. I owe it to her…" Remus said.

"You owe it to yourself not to jump into this for no _good_ reason! And, while we're at it, you owe it to _her_ to be honest with not only yourself but with her about your feelings before you _really_ bugger it all up," Lily snapped.

"I…I know," Remus sighed. Perhaps he shouldn't be going into this without sorting through his feelings first. He had to be honest with Tonks but he still couldn't help but feel as though he should at least try to make their relationship work.

"Good," Lily said, but between her tone and glare Remus wasn't sure she believed him. "Tea?"

"Sure," Remus replied, grateful that the topic was being dropped.

"Will you stay for dinner?" she asked as she stood up.

"Err…is Sirius staying?" he asked uncomfortably.

Lily sighed. "You two are going to have to work through this eventually."

"I'm not so sure that's possible," Remus replied sadly, standing up to follow Lily into the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Draco was nauseated. Pansy Parkinson was practically in his lap, kissing his ear while whispering sweet nothings that made him want to gag. Blaise snickered in the seat across from him while Daphne looked on sympathetically. Gregory and Vincent were too busy stuffing their faces to notice. He was starting to miss days spent in his backyard with Ginevra and Hermione. Their company was preferable to being slobbered on by Pansy, even taking into consideration the new awkwardness between Hermione and himself. He may have tainted himself by sleeping with a Mudblood but he was starting to feel that even that was forgivable and much nicer than the thought of sticking his prick anywhere near this girl. He dated her last year so he had actually <em>been<em> there and everything. She was not a good lay at all, was far too clingy, and not even that pretty. Ginevra and Hermione both had her beat in the looks department.

What on earth had he been thinking with her? How in the world had she not even noticed how repulsed he was by her?

"So did you miss me, Dray-Dray?" Pansy cooed, nibbling on his ear. Draco shifted away from her and eyed her distastefully. "You haven't been in the manor in weeks. I tried firecalling so many times!"

"I've been busy," Draco replied coldly, shooting a glare at Blaise as his friend tried to stifle his laughter.

"Busy with what?" Pansy asked with a pout.

"Busy with whom," Blaise coughed.

"Busy hiding from the Dark Lord, that's what."

Draco paled as the compartment door opened and Theodore Nott stepped in wearing a smirk. They had always been good friends in childhood, one of the few people Draco considered to be his equal, and never before had Draco experienced the receiving end of such a malicious look of amusement glittering in the other wizard's dark eyes.

"What are you talking about, Theo?" Pansy demanded with a sniff. "Draco is going to serve the Dark Lord one day. Isn't that right, Dray?"

"Oh really?" Theodore asked with a grin. "And how would you know of anything going on among the Death Eaters, hmm?"

Pansy blinked rapidly and looked from Draco to Theodore. "And what exactly do you think you know, Nott?" she demanded coolly, looking prepared to defend Draco. She sat up straight and folded her arms over her chest, watching Theodore expectantly.

Theodore just grinned, kicked the compartment door shut, and pulled up the sleeve of his left arm. Silence followed for a long time while everyone gaped at the Dark Mark now residing on his arm. Draco flinched, fingers tightening on the edge of the seat, eyes flickering from the Dark Mark to Theodore's dark eyes. Shite, this wasn't good.

"Whoa," said Vincent Crabbe. He nudged Gregory, nodding towards Theodore's arm. They wore twin expressions of dumb awe while Blaise and Daphne were as stunned as Draco. Pansy blinked rapidly in surprise, turning her shocked gaze from Theodore to an uncertain glance at Draco.

"Why don't you check your future husband there, Pans?" Theodore said mockingly.

Pansy's brown eyes stared at Draco's covered left forearm.

"C'mon, Malfoy," Theodore said. "Show her. Show them all what a phony you are."

"That's enough, Nott," Blaise spat.

"I'm hardly afraid of you, Zabini," Theodore said with a scowl. "I'm on the Dark Lord's side now. I have power. You are _nothing_. None of you are if you're following this little _coward_."

No one had ever seen such a side to Theodore before. He had always been the quiet one, brooding in corners, silently plotting away his own deviousness while Draco had been the arrogant prick loudly boasting of all of his prestige and accomplishments. This Theodore was exactly the person Draco would have been had he taken the Dark Mark but it certainly wasn't the wizard Draco had grown up with. Everyone else seemed to notice it, too, save for the ever clueless Crabbe and Goyle. Draco, Pansy, Blaise and Daphne traded equally bewildered looks before Pansy finally seemed to come around.

"Draco?" she asked timidly.

Draco sat up straight and schooled his expression. "I don't have to prove anything to any of you."

"Yes, you would say that," Theodore said in amusement. "You can drop the act, Malfoy. You're not our little Slytherin Prince any longer."

"What? You think you'll replace me?" Draco scoffed.

"Oh, I know I will," Theodore assured him with a smirk. "Crabbe, Goyle, you're with me now."

"Uhh…Okay," said Vincent with a shrug, glancing at Gregory who shrugged and nodded, as well.

"Good."

"Wait a minute!" Draco snapped furiously, glaring at his so-called friends.

"Get out of here, Malfoy," Theodore commanded. "It's time you learned your new place."

"I won't be going anywhere!" Draco snapped.

"Crabbe, Goyle…Get him out of here," Theodore commanded, stepping in the compartment to sit on Pansy's other side.

"Umm…Okay," Gregory said. He and Vincent stood and Draco glowered at them.

"Don't. You. Dare," Draco snarled.

Years of loyalty left the goons a bit confused as to handle Draco but it only took a few minutes for Theodore and his Mark to make a convincing argument. Draco watched in horror as Pansy scooted closer to Theodore while his old sidekicks cracked their knuckles and advanced on him. Blaise and Daphne glanced at each other uncertainly and shot Draco hopeless looks of apology that he glared at.

"Now would be a good time to move, Draco," Theodore said, smoothly taking out his wand.

"You wouldn't…" Draco began, gaping at the wand pointed in his direction.

At that moment, the compartment door slid open. "Oh, there you are D—Malfoy." Draco looked up in shock at Hermione Granger who stood primly in the doorway, looking at them all distastefully. "It's time we met the prefects."

"Wh…Oh, right," Draco said, clearing his throat and standing up. "I _am_ Head Boy."

"Yes, you are," Hermione said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Hurry up. You, too, Parkinson. Unless you did us all a favor and resigned as prefect."

"Hardly," Pansy said. "Leave a Mudblood like you in charge? We need as many of the good ones as we can."

"Come on then! You're both late. And, Nott, you should put away that wand. I'm not afraid to dock points when we get to the castle," Hermione said.

"Yes, your royal Muddiness," Theodore muttered, putting his wand back into his robes.

The meeting with the prefects didn't take long, as Hermione was in a hurry since they were already running late. They gave the prefects their assignments for the night, from the train to the welcoming feast. Draco and Hermione stood back as the prefects left and Draco sighed heavily, fingering his Head Boy badge curiously. It would be slightly helpful with the situation but he doubted even this position was going to save his reputation at all. He dreaded returning to the compartment. Maybe he could just stay here instead. It was a bit pathetic being all alone but it's not like anyone else needed to know. He could always walk the train the whole time under the pretense of checking up on everyone.

"Why don't you come back to my compartment?" Hermione suggested.

"What?" Draco demanded.

"Well, you were hardly having an easy time in yours," Hermione replied. "I don't think anyone will mind, except maybe Ron. But I'm sure his new _wife_ can keep a hold of him."

"His _wife_?" Draco repeated, eyes widening.

"Mhm," Hermione said unhappily. "He married Hannah. Her father wouldn't let them bond unless they got married so they had a small wedding yesterday or the day before."

"Wow," Draco said, following Hermione out of the prefects' compartment. "When will they start reproducing like rabbits?"

"I do _not_ want to think about that," Hermione sighed.

"Still sore he dumped you?" Draco asked curiously.

Hermione glared at him. "You're more than welcome to return to your gang, you know."

"It was just a question," Draco said defensively. Perhaps he had said it a bit rudely but it was all he was used to. He couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious walking around with a Mudblood but he figured since they were the Heads this year, they would have to be seen together.

"Sorry. I just feel like he's rubbing it in my face," Hermione murmured.

"Well maybe my being there will help then," Draco suggested. "I'm the reason he dumped you, if I recall. Maybe he'll be jealous."

"I don't see why he would be," Hermione snorted.

"I'm wealthy, devastatingly handsome, powerful, brilliant, a talented flyer, your soul mate, and the bloke who took your virginity. There are probably a million and one reasons but I figured those were the most obvious and most important," Draco explained.

Hermione blushed and quickened her pace, though she said nothing in response. They didn't say another word as they followed the prefects, checking up on the other students, checking in with the prefects, and, eventually, retiring to the compartment Hermione shared with her friends. It was already a bit crowded when the two of them entered. Harry bloody Potter was there, looking irritated with his bouncing and annoying younger sister who was right beside him. Ronald Weasley sat across from Harry with Hannah Abbott. or, rather, Weasley, wasn't it?, in his lap. Ginevra sat beside them, casting her brother and his wife dirty looks then shooting a sympathetic one to Harry before focusing on Neville Longbottom, who was beside her, continuing a conversation about a new band called the Drowning Pixies, comparing their lead singer to Ricky Blue of the Babbling Banshees.

"What the bloody hell is he doing here?" Weasley demanded as Hermione sat down beside Grace. While it was a bit cramped, Draco made the immediate decision to sit beside Hermione. It was a tight fit, too much for his liking, but the closer to Hermione the better. Weasley glared nastily at them.

He couldn't help himself. Just to spite the weasel he slid his arm around Hermione's shoulders, feeling a small physical shock hit him as he touched her. Once the surprise faded, Draco thought the feeling had been pleasant. It wasn't so bad touching Hermione, even if she was a Mudblood. She was warm, soft and smelled nice, like jasmine and vanilla. Weasley's glare intensified while Ginevra shot an approving look their direction along with a small smirk. Draco grinned in response as her bright brown eyes lit up mischievously. She obviously liked getting on her brother's nerves. Draco decided he liked that about her.

Hermione smiled softly as well and relaxed against Draco. "I invited him," she replied coolly.

"What? But…But why?" Weasley sputtered.

"Give it a rest, Ron," Potter grumbled irritably.

"Be nice, Ron!" Grace said happily. "I think it's wonderful you're here, Draco!"

"Well thank you," Draco said, a bit surprised.

"Gracie thinks you're good looking," Ginevra said, eyes sparkling with the same amusement as her tone.

"Don't tell him that, Ginny!" Grace exclaimed, face turning bright red.

"What, he wasn't supposed to know?" Ginevra asked teasingly. "It's all you've been talking about since Hermione found out they were soul mates."

"I was only telling her that it wasn't such a bad thing," Grace muttered, grinning despite how crimson her face was.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. It is a well known fact that I am breathtakingly gorgeous," Draco said with a solemn nod of his head.

"You flatter yourself," Hermione muttered with a snort.

"You _are_!" Grace said with a nervous giggle. "It really is too bad you don't have brothers."

"Merlin, we don't need _more_ of him," Ron muttered.

"Shhh," Hannah said quietly, giving him a peck on the cheek.

Ginevra eyed them and shook her head then shot Hermione a questioning look. Hermione didn't seem to understand, at first, but as Ginevra's eyes moved back and forth purposefully between Hermione and Draco, she seemed to get it. Draco was a bit confused. Hermione shook her head vigorously then Ginevra's eyes pointedly glanced at Ron and Hannah then Hermione finally relented with a nod and an appealing blush.

"So," Ginevra said, clearing her throat. "You never did tell me if you two have…_consummated_…the bond yet."

"Yes, well…I don't think that's anyone's business," Hermione said stiffly, face burning redder.

Weasley's eyes looked like they were about to bug out of his head.

"Y…You mean…You mean you…" Weasley sputtered.

"I never said anything, Ronald," Hermione said coldly.

"I was a bit surprised to learn that you and Hermione never had sex, Weasley," Draco piped up, unable to stop himself. Hermione glared at him while Ginevra seemed to be stifling laughter. "You were together for how long? And you never got that far?"

"I wasn't with the right person," Hermione said, shooting Draco a look that said he obviously wasn't the right person either and that he needed to shut his mouth.

"It wasn't just her decision!" Weasley snapped defensively.

"Now, Ron, calm down," Ginevra said, her voice betraying none of the amusement her face was. "You've both moved on now."

"If you call _that_ moving on," Ron muttered.

Maybe being around this crowd wasn't so bad, after all, Draco decided.

* * *

><p>The time James and Sirius came in from their game, Remus decided to leave; only getting Lily to let him go with the promise of going to talk to Tonks. After his conversation with his friend, he figured it was necessary. He firecalled her as soon as he got home only to remember that she had work. When that failed, he ended up writing her a short note to owl her, stating that he would like to talk with her once she had the chance, regretting it almost as soon as the owl flew off into the distance. He didn't even know what he wanted to say to her. At this rate, Remus wasn't sure he'd ever make up his mind. He did his best to stay calm the rest of the day, filling out useless job applications, reading the <em>Daily Prophet<em>, and fixing himself a small dinner.

At some point, Remus fell asleep on his couch reading a book. Tonks pulled him out of his sleep calling him but he couldn't remember anything about the dream, only the brief image of a shirtless Sirius Black storming towards him, a fiery look in his gray eyes that could have been anger, or something just as passionate that Remus wasn't ready to think about. He frowned as he sat up, feeling confused until Tonks called out to him again.

"Remus? Sorry, I couldn't tell if you were asleep or not," Tonks said, her head bouncing around in his fire. "Did you want to talk now or should I come back tomorrow?"

"No, now's fine. You can come over," Remus said, wiping the sleep from his eyes. He stood up then straightened himself while Tonks Flooed over. She seemed a bit anxious as she stumbled out of the fireplace, her hair spiky, colored electric blue with lime green and lemon yellow streaks. "Err…How are you?"

"I'm fine," she said with a nervous smile. "You?"

"Fine," Remus said, his amber eyes trailing down to her currently flat stomach. Her stomach looked ever so slightly rounded, but he wasn't sure if he was just imagining that or not. Realizing he was probably staring, Remus shook his head and smiled warmly. "Uh…Have a seat."

"Thanks," Tonks said, stumbling her way over to the couch then flopping down on it. "So I take it you wanted to talk about the baby?"

"In a way," Remus replied, sitting back down on the couch before having to reach under him to pull out the book he accidentally sat on. He closed it then set it down on the side table before turning back to Tonks. He hadn't really been in enough relationships to have much confidence when it came to women, and he certainly didn't know what he should be doing. "Ahem. I still want to be part of the baby's life."

"I know," Tonks said with a smile. "You'll be a great dad, Remus."

"I hope so," Remus replied. "Though…"

"Though?" Tonks prompted.

Remus was silent for several long minutes, lost in thought. Why hadn't he considered this before? He imagined what he might be like as a father, and wasn't sure why it didn't hit him sooner. Being a werewolf was a big part of who he was, something that affected him more than he liked. How was this going to affect his child?

"You…You don't think the baby will…will inherit my…lycanthropy…do you?" he asked, feeling a bit woozy.

"What?" Tonks asked, eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not sure, really. But it doesn't matter, does it? I'll still love him or her. And I'm sure it'll be fine. You're a werewolf and probably one of the best blokes I've ever met."

"Thanks," Remus said, torn between being touched by her kind words and panicking over the new thoughts that hit him. What if the baby turned out to be like him? Even if the baby didn't end up with lycanthropy, what sort of childhood would he have with a dad who was a werewolf?

Hell, Remus couldn't even get a _job_! The only reason he had the cheap flat he had now was doing odd jobs for people in the neighborhood, selling everything he could, saving as much money as possible, and, even with all of that, he would probably have to end up crashing with James and Lily or…Well, he wasn't so sure he could count on Sirius nowadays. He could barely take care of himself, let alone providing for a child.

"Remus, stop it," Tonks said gently. "Don't go beating yourself up. I _love_ you, Remus. Do you understand that? I love you and this baby is going to love you. Your friends love you. I know that you hate what you are but that doesn't define you. Remus, you will be an amazing dad. You have to know that. I know it. There is no one in this world I can think of who would love this baby more. Think of how you are with Harry and Grace! They aren't even your flesh and blood. They're so lucky to have you in their lives and there's no one I would rather have as the father of my child. Are you listening?"

"I…Harry and Grace don't have to deal with everyone knowing their father is a _monster_! I can't even…I can't even hold a job…I probably won't even have a home next year! I can't…I can't take care of a baby."

"Remus, _I_ have a job, it's fine. You just need to be there for him or her, alright? Don't let this junk get to your head because it's all rubbish."

Tonks scooted closer to Remus and wrapped her arms around him. Remus managed to calm down slightly, feeling somewhat foolish for his panicking though, at the same time, it was hard to let go of such negative thoughts. He never imagined he would actually have children one day, despite wanting to settle down and have a family. He hadn't really thought it was possible for his kind to reproduce.

"Now, Remus…What did you want to talk to me about?" Tonks asked, stroking her hand up and down his arm.

"I don't know," Remus replied, raking his fingers through his hair. "I was hoping to have something figured out by now. To know what I want to do."

"And you haven't figured it out yet?" Tonks asked with a small smile. "Or are you just second guessing yourself because of…everything?"

Remus sighed. "I'm not sure, really. I thought that maybe I would like to…to give our relationship a real shot. For the baby. But that's not fair to you, is it? Then all of this. It's just…I never expected this to happen. I don't really…know…anything."

"Well, I think giving _us_ a shot…for the baby…is a good place to start," Tonks said with a smile. "We don't need to feel any pressure to force a relationship to work but I think giving it a chance wouldn't be the worst thing out there. And, I've already told you, it doesn't matter that you're a werewolf, Remus. You'll still be the best daddy any child could ask for. If the baby…gets that gene then we'll deal with it. If not, then that's great. But your child will never be ashamed of you. I'm not. Your friends aren't. This baby won't be, either. Just you wait and see. Don't let those fears drive you away because, I promise, this baby would rather have a werewolf for a father than no father at all."

"Right," Remus said, nodding slowly. He wasn't so sure about that, but he wasn't going to deprive his child of his presence in his or her life. He wasn't so sure he could just abandon his child, even if he thought he was doing so for selfless reasons. "Merlin. I'm sorry, Dora."

"For what?" Tonks laughed.

"For calling you over here and being all dramatic," Remus chuckled. "I don't mean it. Everything's just been so crazy, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Tonks said softly, giving his leg a small squeeze. "Well, you go back to sleep. D'you want to do dinner tomorrow?"

"I…Sure," Remus replied, shaking his head. His mind felt so full and crazy right now but, somehow, Tonks's comforting words made him feel a bit calmer, just slightly more at ease. He couldn't help but be grateful to her. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," she said with a bright smile, walking to the fireplace with such a happy skip to her step that he was surprised she stayed on her feet.

* * *

><p>The welcoming feast had not gone as smoothly as Draco had hoped, though it could have been worse. Either because Draco was Head Boy or because they were in public, none of the Slytherin dared try anything too obvious. He did have a feeling all through dinner that they were giving him odd looks and talking about him but that could have just been paranoia. He spent his time focusing on Blaise and Daphne. But even they seemed a bit distant in their conversations.<p>

Draco, apparently, underestimated how fast news traveled and how little 'friendships' in Slytherin meant, overestimated his own power and influence. He strode through the dungeons, purposefully, after dinner, head held high and chest puffed out to show off the shiny Head Boy badge that adorned his chest. The young Malfoy was proud of his new position and would be glad to use it to his advantage as much as possible.

Only, it didn't seem that everyone thought that the position gave him any sort of entitlement or earned him any respect. Draco frowned when he saw something strange down the corridor realizing, as he got closer, that a large group of Slytherin students had formed a line from one wall to the one across from it, one that wouldn't be easy to walk through. Theodore Nott was in the center, flanked by Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode. His stomach jumped as he eyed the group suspiciously. This did not look good, but Draco wasn't going to let his fear show.

"Move," he barked at the group.

"Tsk, tsk. That's not how we ask nicely," Theodore said.

"I'm not nice, am I?" Draco retorted, rolling his eyes. "I'm Head Boy."

"I can see that," Theodore said with amusement, eying the badge. "Need I remind you what _I_ am?"

Draco gulped and shifted around to try to make himself look taller. "You don't have any authority here, Nott. I do. And I said to move. You're blocking the way."

"I may not have any authority in this rotten school but, I assure, you I have power you could only dream of, Malfoy," Theodore assured him quietly. There was a dark glimmer in his eyes that made Draco want to back away. "I would suggest you go find your own kind."

"I'm a Slytherin, Nott. Slow tonight, are we?"

"I'm not the one making dumb choices here, Malfoy," Theodore said. "Run along. You're not welcome here anymore."

"You hardly have the right to kick me out of the dungeons," Draco snapped.

"No?" Theodore said. "I can always…_force_…you out. My master has taught me plenty of useful tricks." Theodore slid his wand out of his robes, lazily pointing it in Draco's direction. "It's up to you."

"Put that down, Nott," Blaise growled from down the line.

Theodore quirked an eyebrow. "I didn't realize you were involved in this, Zabini."

"Draco's my friend. Leave him alone," Blaise said through gritted teeth. He didn't look all that sure of himself but Draco was still grateful for the support.

"_Malfoy_ stopped being the friend of _any_ self-respecting Slytherin the moment he picked up his skirts and ran away from the Dark Lord," Pansy drawled, looking at him as though he was mud stuck to the bottom of her expensive shoes.

"What do _you_ know about self-respect, Pansy?" snarled Daphne. Her voice was quiet, obviously hoping to make a nasty comment without being heard, but in the otherwise silent corridor, the words rang out loud and clear. Daphne averted her gaze, face bright red, though she held her head high and didn't seem to be backing out.

"You two are willing to risk your place for _him_?" Theodore asked.

"Friendship is worth a lot to some people."

The voice didn't come from any of the Slytherins. Draco froze as he felt a group approaching, recognizing the voice of Harry Potter in the dungeon, though he didn't dare turn to look. Everyone else saw them coming, though: Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger, and Ginevra Weasley followed shortly by a reluctant looking Ronald and Hannah Weasley.

"This is _Slytherin_ territory, golden boy," Tracey Davis spat from Millicent's left. "Don't tell me you lost your way to Gryffindork Tower."

"We know exactly where we are, Tracey," Ginevra said coldly.

"Oooh, I think they've come to your rescue, Malfoy," Theodore chuckled. "He's gone soft on us."

"Leave him alone!" Neville Longbottom snapped to Draco's surprise. He wasn't the only one, if the shocked looks on the Slytherin faces said anything.

"Or what?" Theodore challenged.

"Or we'll make you," Harry said.

"Yeah!" said a new voice, footsteps echoing in the corridor as Grace Potter ran up to them, stopping beside Ron, out of breath.

"Grace, what the bloody hell are you doing down here?" Harry Potter hissed.

"Well I wasn't going to let you come _alone_! I wanted to see what you were doing!" Grace said.

"Aww, even a second year is sticking up for him," snickered Millicent.

"I'm a third year!" Grace snapped indignantly.

"Grace, go upstairs!" Hermione whispered loudly.

"Quite the army you've got there, Malfoy," laughed Theodore.

"Curse him, Harry!" Grace cheered.

"I'm with Grace on this one," Ginevra said.

Draco hardly knew what to do. Since he had to live with the Slytherins, he wasn't sure going against them was the smartest idea. But antagonizing the Gryffindors didn't sound very appealing either. Especially since the Slytherins had been giving him trouble _before_ they came along.

"Theodore, just…" Daphne said, stopping in the middle to clear her throat before restarting, her voice louder now. "Theodore, just leave him alone!"

"Maybe we should move you _and_ Dr-_Malfoy_ to the Tower then," Pansy said.

"Maybe we should move you a pen with all of Hagrid's other animals," Blaise muttered.

"You _arsehole_!" Pansy squealed.

"Zabini's got a point, y'know," Weasley spoke up.

"I dunno, I don't think Hagrid would like her very much. That's pretty bad since he usually likes them ugly and mean," Grace giggled.

"That one wasn't all that clever, Gracie," Ginevra sighed.

"Was, too!" Grace argued.

"Shut up!" Harry snapped. "Look, just let him through and leave him alone, alright?"

"I don't think so, Potter," Theodore said. "You want him so much, you take him."

"No. You can keep him," Weasley said.

"Shut _up_, Ronald!" Hermione hissed.

Tracey giggled. "Look. Even Gryffindors don't like Gryffindors."

"You're one to talk. You're trying to kick out one of your own," Hermione argued.

"He's not one of _us_ anymore," Theodore assured her.

"That's it, Nott! Detention," Draco finally said. He _was_ Head Boy and, while he couldn't punish the other prefects, he could take points and give detention to students. Teachers could always overrule him but Draco highly doubted they would in this case.

"You think a detention is going to stop me? Stop _all of us_?" Theodore said coldly. "We don't want you here. And, I assure you, if you stay, you'll wish you had taken us up on the offer to leave."

"If you _touch_ him you'll have us to deal with, Nott," Hermione growled.

"Oooh…I'm scared of the big, bad Mudblood.

"DON'T CALL HER THAT!" several voices rang out from behind him. Draco himself had to keep his mouth shut from following their example. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Potter, Weasley, and Ginevra had pulled out their wands. Theodore raised his a bit more, glaring at them a bit more seriously now.

"_What_ is going on here?" drawled a familiar voice.

"Nothing, Professor," several voices rang out as Severus Snape strode past the Gryffindors to stand in the middle of the two groups.

"What are _you_ doing down here?" he demanded of the Gryffindors, and one Huffelpuff.

"Just leaving…_sir_," Potter replied sarcastically.

"Five points from Gryffindor for a disrespectful tone, _Potter_," Severus said. "And ten points from all of you for being down here. One point from each Slytherin out of bed, as well." That still put Gryffindor in worse shape than Slytherin. "All of you, off to your dorms. And detention for Mr. Nott, Potter, Weasley, and you, Miss Weasley. For attempting to duel in the corridor."

"We didn't even do anything!" Weasley snapped.

"Another five points from Gryffindor, _Weasley_," Severus said. "Nott, you'll be with Professor Trelawney."

Theodore looked like he would rather spoon out his own eyeballs.

"Weasley, with Filch."

"Bloody hell," Weasley muttered.

"Miss Weasley, with Professor McGonagall."

Ginevra sighed but said nothing.

"And Potter…Potter, you'll be with me."

"_What_?" Potter demanded angrily.

Severus smirked. "You heard me, Potter. You'll serve detention with me tomorrow night after dinner. The rest of you will be alerted by your detention supervisors when you will serve." Severus then looked from the slowly departing Slytherins, the lingering Blaise and Daphne then to the still frozen Draco. "You may be Head Boy but you will return to your common room as well."

"Yes, sir," Draco said gratefully as Severus shot a glare in Theodore's direction. Theodore's jaw clenched but he said nothing and followed his House mates to their common room. Blaise and Daphne came to walk on either side of him.

"Merlin, we are so doomed," Daphne groaned.

"I can't believe I did that," Blaise muttered.

"Thanks, guys," Draco whispered. He was a bit offended by their reluctance to help but touched all the same that they _had_ stood up for him in the end. Draco wasn't sure he would have done the same in their positions. Maybe that was one thing that had to change. He realized now how fickle the relationships built in his life had been and how dangerous his attitude was proving to be.

* * *

><p>Severus didn't have to look to know that when the rest of the students departed, Harry Potter remained and followed him to his office.<p>

"What are you thinking, giving me detention with you? _Alone_?" Potter snapped.

Severus smirked before turning to glare at the boy. "I am your professor, Potter, and you will address me with respect."

"Fine then. Sir," Potter growled.

"Better," Severus said. "You know well why you have detention. You had your wand drawn and aimed at Theodore Nott. You also know that Professor Dumbledore wants us to meet. To _practice_."

"But the bond…" Potter argued.

"We are safe from the bond," Severus reminded him impatiently. "Your bracelet? Remember it?"

"What if it fails?" Potter demanded. "Malfunctions?"

"Then it fails," Severus said. "It's not as if I haven't fucked your pretty little arse before, Potter."

"Well, I would rather you didn't do it again, you sick pervert," Potter snarled.

"Only a sick pervert would enjoy the sort of rough buggering I gave you _boy_," Severus drawled. "And another ten points from Gryffindor I believe. Shall we make it another detention, then?"

"Fuck off," Potter snapped.

"If that's how you would prefer to spend your detention, then so be it," Severus replied. "You will meet me here tomorrow night and the next, then. Both after dinner. Understood?"

"Brilliant," Potter spat sarcastically, glowering at him. Severus felt the familiar heated arousal coil in his stomach and he moved forward, stopped by some invisible force almost a foot away from Potter. The boy's eyes were dark in his own lust. Severus watched his tongue flick out to trail along those soft lips that Severus was suddenly hungering for. He could just imagine himself absolutely devouring the young wizard and enjoying every last inch of his delectable skin. Severus shivered despite himself.

Potter looked ready to lean in himself but the band he wore seemed to stop him from making any progress towards Severus, either. The action seemed to snap him out of it. His cheeks flushed red and Potter glared at him one more time before spinning around then marching out of his office.

Once his lust had calmed down, Severus was positive he had never been more infuriated with himself in his life. Brats like Potter shouldn't leave him craving for this much more.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Sorry it took so long to get up! Too many distractions, too little time lol.

Don't forget to like me on FB! You can get updates on the status of my stories, help me make decisions, and even view the crappy bond marks I sketched out a few days ago! Lol!

Huge thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers: Cynders Forces, Tokugawa Blitzer, autumngold, AlmondWithUnicornHair, xXxElectraxXx, AstrophobicChick, ashuraou, ieatmyfeelings, dogsby, Suma Akila, Anniriel, Pandesme, Lady DestinyHope, Saintsational, da-blk-saiyangirl, Reader-anonymous, Paige Taylor, and Gemini Peverell! Pretty sure that was my most reviewed chapter yet! That's so amazing! Thank you everyone so much and I hope you keep reviewing and that everyone who hasn't yet take a few seconds to let me know what you think! I would really appreciate it so much!

Big thanks also goes out to my wonderful beta, Dani, for making me proud to show this thing off and so I won't have to cringe in shame and horror whenever I read through my own chapters lol!

Next time…I would tell you, but I'm at school and don't have my outline x_x I'll post it on my fb page when I get home lol!


	19. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

* * *

><p>Why was it every time Harry daydreamed about killing Snape the fantasy, somehow, turned into Snape fucking him over his desk? Crawling to the older man, sitting beneath the desk, and giving him a blowjob should not have been even remotely appealing but the scenes his imagination had been producing most recently had gone from him taking out his wand to curse the man to the deepest circle of Hell to <em>that<em>.

It was bad enough having these fantasies in class but to do so when he was alone with Snape in detention with their bond at work was worse. To be fair, the bond was probably the entire reason he was entertaining such disturbing ideas anyway. If only he could remind his prick that sexual thoughts about Snape were disgusting. The mental images had interested his cock a bit more than he liked. Harry couldn't help but shift his robes around a bit to make sure that area was covered and that Snape wouldn't notice anything.

Snape was behind his desk, looking far too amused, as Harry entered. Harry wasn't sure why, but he was sure whatever the reasons were behind that smirk, they were not pleasant. "You're on time," Snape drawled. "I'm impressed."

"Did you want me to not come…Professor?" Harry asked sarcastically, purposefully holding off on the use of the word _professor_.

The man's smirk grew. After a moment, Harry felt his face heat up as he realized how his words could be taken. He wasn't sure if that was what was on Snape's mind but Harry had a good feeling that it was. His mind assaulted him with more vivid mental imagery. Harry, himself, sprawled out naked on Snape's desk while the man traced every inch of his body with his tongue. A shiver rolled through his body at the thought, his green eyes glowering at the wall behind Snape, determined not to look at the older wizard.

"You could be closer without that ridiculous band of yours, Potter," Snape said, carefully wording his sentence to where it could be taken either way. He could literally get closer to the man without the band around his wrist or he could always be closer to _coming,_ in a very fun sense, without it. Harry swallowed and clenched his fists, fighting the temptation to do just that. Just removing the bracelet for a little while wouldn't be so bad, would it? They could have just one more go before cutting off altogether. It would be better that way, actually!

"I think not," Harry said reluctantly, voice strained as he forced his mouth to form the rejection.

"Pity," Snape said slowly. "However, I doubt your self-control is strong enough to resist the pull for long. The way you threw yourself at me without it." Harry's stomach twisted nauseatingly as Snape grinned in amusement. "It's hardly surprising, is it? You've always shown a remarkable lack of restraint since you came to this school."

"And what about your restraint, _sir_?" Harry spat. "I didn't see you stopping me."

Something like anger flashed through those black eyes, but his smirk remained in place. "Who in their right mind would turn down the chance to deflower the Boy-Who-Lived?" Snape snorted. "While I'm sure any of your adoring fans would have been honored, there was something very special indeed about taking your innocence from you. I now have the privilege of holding this over your head, Potter. The memory of our world's most beloved hero writhing so wantonly beneath me, pleading with me to fuck you," Snape drawled and Harry couldn't help the tremble of pleasure that swept through him, his arousal making itself painfully known. His eyes fluttered shut for a moment and, when they opened again, he saw the triumphant look in Snape's dark eyes. In that moment, Harry was sure he had never hated the man more. "Perfect Harry Potter offering himself in such a sluttish manner to the man he _hates_. Or claims to hate."

"I _do_ hate you," Harry spat.

"Good," Snape said. "I always pegged you for one of those clingy fucks. One good lay and they fancy themselves madly in love." Snape snorted in disgust and Harry cringed.

"No offense but I doubt anything you do could make anyone _think_ they were in love with you," Harry said.

"And why is _that_, Potter?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? You're rude, mean, evil, ugly…Y'know, all the things everyone ever says about you?"

"Five points from Gryffindor."

"You asked."

"You fell into a trap, you foolish child."

"Either you would take points from me for saying it or take points for not answering. I went with the option I enjoyed the most."

"You could have lied, Potter. Surely you realize by now that it is a useful skill to obtain?"

"I'd rather lose Gryffindor the House Cup than say anything nice about _you_."

"Don't tempt me."

"As if you weren't already thinking it."

"Touché," Snape said. "As amusing as this banter is, I believe I'll find more excuses to take away points once we actually get down to business."

"Alright. Where were we? Oh yeah, _your_ lack of self control."

"Another five points. Just because I rather enjoyed fucking you into the floor doesn't mean I'm lacking in self control."

"At least one of us enjoyed it."

"We've already pointed out your lack of skills in the art of lying, Potter."

"I wasn't lying!"

"There's no shame in just saying it, Potter. It's just sex."

"I can understand you admitting it, maybe. But what in the world do you think is appealing enough about you for anyone to enjoy themselves? It was just the stupid bond!"

"A bond we should be testing right now."

"_What_? I'm not letting you touch me again, you bastard!"

"Five points!"

"Can you even do this? You arsehole!"

"_Twenty_ points."

"There has to be some sexual harassment code in the school laws! I bet I could get your arse fired by just telling them what you did to me over holiday!"

"Five points. Watch your language. And you _won't_ be running to the headmaster with some sob story. He already knows, remember? He didn't deem it necessary then to do away with me. What makes you think he will now?"

"Because you keep trying to…to…_seduce_ me!"

"Tsk, tsk. If I was trying to seduce you, Potter, I would have succeeded."

"Ha! I'd like to see _that_! Any seduction attempt you made would probably be full of threats! It would be more like rape than anything, wouldn't it?"

"Twenty points! That is _enough_!"

"What? It's the truth! You're a pedophile who goes after young boys and you're a rapist because it's the only way anyone would let you near them."

"I didn't have to threaten you to get you to spread your legs like a whore, you disgusting child!"

"Yes, but I'm a _child_, remember, _Professor_? It wasn't even _me_! I was under the influence…of this _bond_!"

"That bond is exactly the reason no one will listen to you, Potter. It is the very reason we're in this mess! Now shut your mouth before I shut it for you!"

"Oh, what are you going to do? Try to choke me with your prick or something?"

Harry had meant it to sound insulting, as though Snape was going to try to rape him. However, he realized, a bit too late, how odd it sounded. By the victorious gleam in Snape's eyes, Harry felt dread and he blushed furiously, glancing away. He couldn't help but feel that he wouldn't mind so much if Snape shoved his cock down his throat. Hadn't Harry been thinking, not long ago, how nice it would be to suck Snape off? He had only done it once but he was just itching to do it again. There was something so very nice and appealing about that hot weight on his tongue, the hard length of the man filling his mouth. Giving a blowjob had never really seemed like fun before but Harry had never really entertained homosexual thoughts before either. Thinking about it without this crazy lust was strange, and it was hard to see the good in it. Now that he had done it to Snape, though…He wanted it again.

What the hell was he thinking?

He barely noticed the darkened look of lust in Snape's eyes, certainly couldn't see that his own mirrored the expression. Nor did he barely register the fact that his feet were moving or that Snape was moving to meet him in the middle. Snape reached out to touch him but stopped. Harry frowned, wishing he would just grab him and kiss him already! Harry couldn't remember wanting him so badly before. He reached out desperately to grab Snape, but found himself stopped. It was like hitting his hand against a wall right before he could touch Snape and Harry growled in frustration.

"Band. Potter, the band," Snape said quietly.

Harry's hand flew to his wrist, then, as though shocked, yelped and let his hand shoot up his arm. Immediately his free hand reached up to grab the opposite arm so that he was holding himself tightly, willing himself to leave the band in place. He also tried begging his feet to move, to take him backwards and far from Snape, but they seemed firmly glued to the spot. He had a hard time focusing. It was taking all of his strength to keep himself from falling prey to the powerful carnal urges the bond was releasing in him. Snape, at least, seemed to be suffering the same fate. He stood in the same spot, his hands still raised as though he meant to reach out and grab Harry, an unfocused look in his black eyes that became confusion then disturbance.

"I think I should go," Harry said quietly after several long, silent minutes.

"No," Snape said sharply, finally seeming to come to himself. He cleared his throat and backed away. "We will need something to show the headmaster."

"Fine," Harry snapped irritably, shifting uncomfortably and wishing his arousal would calm down. "What do we do?"

Snape hesitated a moment as he thought it over. Then he smirked in a rather malicious manner that made Harry stumble backwards. "Why don't we practice…Occlumency?"

"What?" Harry said.

"Occ-lum-en-cy, Potter," Snape said slowly. "You remember, don't you? The subject I was forced to start teaching you your fifth year and, despite the hard work I put into teaching you, your performance remained abysmal?"

"Teaching my arse," Harry snorted. "Bullying was more like it."

"Another five points from Gryffindor."

"You shouldn't take points from someone who's telling the truth, Professor."

Snape drew his wand, Harry scrambled to grab his, but before he had the chance, Snape had already cried out, "_Legilmens_!"

Harry fumbled with his wand and dived after it as it slammed to the floor. Only then did he realize that Snape had cast the spell but nothing had happened. He looked up at Snape in confusion, pleased to see the man looking troubled. Harry grabbed his wand and scrambled back to his feet, aiming at his professor, watching him closely. Snape was holding his wand, turning it over in his hands, and examining it. He appeared to be deep in thought as he glanced at Harry then mouthed something to himself before shaking his hand and aiming his wand at Harry again. "_Legilmens_!"

Out of sheer curiosity, Harry didn't bother with a spell, though his wrist twitched and a few light blue sparks flew out of the tip of his wand in the temptation to defend himself. Again, though, nothing happened.

"Have you been practicing?" Snape asked slowly.

"No," Harry replied honestly, blinking in surprise. He had managed to repel Snape? "D'you think the bond has something to do with it? Should we tell Dumbledore?"

"Professor Dumbledore," Snape corrected. "Yes, this is something the headmaster should know. I have no doubt the bond must be at work. I'm not sure if it even truly worked. You can't be an Occlumens…"

"But the bond…"

"The bond should have opened your mind up to me more," Snape retorted agitatedly.

"Or maybe it could have lent me your skill in Occlumency," Harry suggested.

"Hmm," Snape said, seeming to think this over. "Possibly."

"Or, maybe, you're losing your touch," Harry suggested, unable to stop himself.

Snape glared at him.

"Ahem. Guess we'll just have to do something else now," Harry said. He wasn't sure why his voice had such a suggestive tone. Or why he was staring hungrily at Snape's body. Or why he licked his lips, imagining all of the wonderful places he wanted to put his mouth.

Snape smirked. Harry blinked. Then scowled.

"What else is there?" Harry demanded harshly.

Snape snickered then waved his hand to the line of cauldrons on the nearby wall. "If you've been given my gift of Occlumency, perhaps we should see how well it translates into potions?"

Harry groaned.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you're making me do this, Hermione," Ginny grumbled as they walked down a darkened corridor.<p>

"I'm not _making_ you do anything, Ginny!" Hermione hissed, looking anxious as her dark brown eyes scanned the hall for their group. "Just go back to the dorms if you're so against it."

Ginny frowned but followed Hermione, anyway. "I just don't understand why you need company when you have that…that bracelet that Mr. Potter got you."

"Because we don't know how well it will work and I don't want to risk it," Hermione replied stiffly. "Besides, wasn't it agreed that you and Zabini should get to know each other?"

"Yes, yes, I know," Ginny said with a heavy sigh. "I'm only not looking forward to it. Hanging out with two Slytherins!"

"You shouldn't be so prejudiced, Ginny," Hermione said. "Besides, we've spent time with Draco during summer. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"It was awful," Ginny said, though the corners of her mouth quirked up. "They're both great prats."

"That's hardly a nice thing to say behind someone's back," drawled a familiar voice. Ginny and Hermione both froze. Ginny squeezed her eyes closed and groaned while Hermione snorted and shook her head.

"Does it count if we're the ones behind their backs?" pointed out Draco Malfoy. At least they both sounded more amused than offended.

"You shouldn't be sneaking up on people," Ginny said, finally turning to face them. Hermione joined her.

"We were hardly sneaking. It's not as if you were paying attention. We were merely following you to our meeting place," Draco explained.

"Well, come on then. No use lingering around here," Hermione said, jerking her head down the corridor and leading the way. Ginny walked closer to Hermione as Blaise and Draco caught up with them, each walking along the other side of their soul mate. Hermione and Draco walked comfortably side by side whereas Ginny and Blaise were awkward, constantly sending each other sharp, suspicious glances.

After a few long minutes, Hermione stopped and motioned for the others to do the same. The door to the Room of Requirement appeared in the wall and Hermione stepped forward to walk in. For their purpose, the Room had come to resemble the Gryffindor common room in many aspects. The fireplace was similar, as were the chairs, with the addition of a comfortable couch with the Hogwarts crest, several bookshelves along the wall, a coffee table with a chess set laid out, and an open cupboard revealing shelves lined with various treats, including Hermione's favorite raspberry-caramel squares.

"Wow, isn't this nice?" Hermione said perkily. She removed her outer robe and tossed it onto a nearby chair then sat herself down on the couch. "Come on in, quickly, and close the door!"

Blaise hesitated before kicking the door closed, as he was the last one in. He looked around the place in surprise. "What is this? I've never seen this before."

"The Room of Requirement," Ginny replied, sitting down beside Hermione, being sure to take up enough room so that neither Draco nor Blaise could join them. Draco looked as though he might walk across the room to take the chair nearest Hermione, but ended up choosing one closer to Ginny instead. Blaise was left to grab one of the chairs and tug it in front of the table so that he was sitting in front of everyone as opposed to anywhere near them.

"The Room of Requirement?" Blaise repeated.

Ginny raised her eyebrow, wearing an amused look that told him she did not intend to explain further and that he would have to figure it out for himself. Hermione rolled her eyes upon seeing this and shook her head. "The Room of Requirement, also known by some as the Come and Go Room, is a magical room within Hogwarts that appears whenever a person is in great need of it. It appears to be whatever a person needs though, in order to keep everything a secret, you have to be rather specific in what you want the room to be as others can come in and see what the occupants of the room are doing if it is currently being used."

She spoke as though reciting it from a textbook, though no textbook held any information about this particular room.

"Sheesh, you're like the human textbook," Blaise muttered while looking around the room curiously. "So, what do we need books for? And the chess set?"

"I don't know, really. I guess the Room decided we needed something to do for our purposes," Hermione replied with a shrug.

"What _are_ our purposes, exactly?" Blaise asked.

"To get to know each other and to learn how to get along, of course," Hermione replied.

"That's why we're here, anyway. You and Ginevra are here to keep us from shagging like rabbits," Draco said.

"_Draco_!" Hermione hissed, face burning bright pink.

"Don't call me Ginevra," Ginny muttered. "But he does have a point."

"I thought _we_ were supposed to be 'getting to know each other'," Blaise said dryly.

"That's her excuse to make us come along," Ginny said.

"It was not an excuse, it's true!" Hermione exclaimed. "Unless neither of you cares about being soul mates but I, honestly, thought you might want to attempt to be on decent terms!"

"Rather presumptuous, don't you think?" Blaise asked.

"Well, then, feel free to go!" Hermione snapped.

"Nah, we'll stay. We've got to make sure you and _Draco_ keep your hands to yourselves," Ginny said with a small laugh.

"Unless you _really_ want to," Blaise added. "Then we'd be more than happy to leave."

"Wonderful friends you are," Draco said, rolling his eyes.

"Only looking out for your best interests," Blaise said with a shrug.

"Right then," Hermione said stiffly. "Why don't we discuss something other than our sex lives?"

"Well, there goes half the fun right there," Blaise sighed.

"Not everything is about sex," Ginny said.

"It should be," Draco argued.

Ginny coughed. "Why don't you tell them about SPEW, Hermione?"

"I doubt they'd be interested in that," Hermione said, shaking her head. Honestly, as much as she would love to convert Draco and Blaise to her cause, she doubted it would happen and she did not organize this meeting for them to all end up arguing.

"Isn't that something you did for house elves fifth year?" Draco asked.

"Fourth year," Hermione corrected. "And, yes, it's for house elf rights and protection. Though, looking at the way our society is these days, I've been thinking of expanding it. There are so many other creatures in our world that are mistreated. Honestly, some of the behavior I've witnessed towards other magical creatures is disgusting! House elves are subjected to slavery, yes. But there are also werewolves, like poor Remus Lupin, who can never hold a job because people are too scared of hiring him! They don't seem to realize that werewolves are only truly a threat during the full moon and, even then, if they take Wolfsbane Potion and they are properly taking care of themselves, there would be no danger at all. Even Veela, like Fleur Weasley, she's only part-Veela, but as beautiful as she is, some people treat her awfully for being on 'part-human.' Men treat her like a sexual object while others treat her as if she hardly deserves to be classified as a witch at all because she's not fully human. Even Hagrid, Professor Flitwick, and others deal with prejudice for being who they are. Hagrid might be half-giant but he's one of the kindest people I've ever met! And Professor Flitwick might be half-goblin but he's a brilliant wizard who is one of the most gifted Charms masters in our country!"

"I heard Lupin almost killed a student when he was here," Blaise said in confusion.

"That's a lie!" Hermione shrieked, face turning bright red. "Professor Snape always provided him with his Wolfsbane Potion, and he always made sure to keep away from the castle during the full moon. _That's_ why he missed so many days of class! He was recovering and making sure he was safe for the students before teaching again. He was very responsible about the whole thing!"

Of course, Blaise didn't need to know the whole truth surrounding the events of third year. It hadn't been Remus's fault at all. Hermione eyed Blaise and Draco, who looked at each other skeptically. She was ready to snap at them if they said one negative thing about the cause she cared so deeply for or any of the people she greatly respected. They, too, looked as though they wanted to say more, but managed to keep their mouths closed.

Draco, for one, found it difficult not to make some smart remark about werewolves and even harder to keep quiet about that oaf Hagrid. Hermione didn't seem to understand that, by nature, half-humans were abominations. Humans should reproduce with humans and that was that. Inter-species breeding was a disaster in the making! That's how you ended up with things like centaurs who, as wise as they were, were dangerous! Then _Hagrid _may have been nice compared to full giants but he was still a fool! Always playing around with dangerous things. It was a wonder he and his idiot dog were still alive.

The young Malfoy had plenty he could have said in response to Hermione but was doing his best to keep some control over his tongue. Most Slytherins had been giving him the cold shoulder all day and he had carried around a very awful feeling of foreboding since waking up that morning. No one had even done anything all day, save for some very rude remarks from Pansy and Theodore. It was all just a matter of time and the longer it took, the worse Draco was going to feel about it all. He needed to be smart about this and keep his cool with the allies he managed to get. The Order was doing what they could to protect Draco and his family even before all of this had happened. If he wanted to keep that safety, he was going to have to show some restraint.

Not knowing what to say in response to Hermione's rant, there were several long minutes of uncomfortable silence. It was finally broken when Ginny mentioned the latest Quidditch match between the Pride of Portree and the Tutshill Tornados that, according to the _Daily Prophet_, had finally ended after three weeks. It had been a very close game with Pride of Portree winning. They had only had a difference of about three points before the Snitch had finally been caught. Draco happily boasted of his favorite team's win while, to their shock, Blaise and Ginny defended the Tornados, who they had been rooting for. More discussion led them both to realize that the Tornados were both of their second favorite teams. Though they were relieved to know they had different teams picked as their very favorites. Ginny, predictably, was a Holyhead Harpies fan while Blaise preferred the Falmouth Falcons.

"'_Let us win, but if we cannot win, let us break a few heads_'," Ginny said, reciting the Falcons' motto. "Of course."

"What's wrong with that?" Blaise asked with a grin. "A team that knows what it wants, will do anything to achieve their goals, and willing to punish those who get in the way?"

"Such violence," Ginny snorted.

Draco laughed. "So, Hermione, do you have a favorite team?"

Ginny laughed before Hermione had a chance to open her mouth. "Hermione thinks Quidditch is pointless!"

"I do not!" Hermione defended. "I think obsession with a sport is pointless. It does, however, promote a healthy sense of competition, is a great means of keeping the body in shape, it is, from what I've heard, fun and a great stress reliever. There are plenty of good qualities to Quidditch. What I don't understand is how _serious_ people take it. It _is_ just a game."

"It's a way of life," Ginny said dramatically, though the amusement glittering in her bright brown eyes assured them that she wasn't _that_ serious about it. Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Anyway, as of right now, I would have to say the Pride of Portree," Hermione replied calmly.

"Yes!" Draco cheered in a whisper.

"Aww, they really _are_ soul mates," Blaise muttered.

"What I like about them is more than just how successful they've been or how attractive their Keeper, Talgan Hooper is," Hermione went on, ignoring them. "No, what I like is how gracious they've been. They're undefeated this season and they're always so nice about it. They don't rub it in their opposition's face as many teams do. They're not very arrogant either, which I like. Oh! Also the way they play is brilliant. I suppose that's important," Hermione said, blushing as Ginny just gaped at her for such a statement. "They really have great players this season and they're all so very _smart_ too. They don't do the same plays repeatedly. They've been very unpredictable which, I bet, is what's done them so much good. Did you hear, they also have been donating loads of money to the St. Mungo's Save a Dream Foundation! From what I've heard, that's not the only charity they give to, either.

"The players themselves all have very incredible stories. Their Seeker was homeless before joining the team. His parents disowned him when he decided to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional Quidditch player instead of following his father's footsteps and joining the family business of making magical chocolate. One of their Chasers is _fifty three_ years old! He's the oldest player in the League and everyone is always telling him he should quit but he doesn't let what anyone else says determine what he does. Then their Keeper…What?" Hermione blinked in surprise when she realized everyone was gaping at her.

"I've never heard of someone picking their favorite _Quidditch_ team based on their _morals_ and _personalities_ and things like that," Blaise said, shaking his head slowly.

"That's Hermione for you," Ginny giggled.

"Well, I apologize for caring about more than just how well that team is doing in the season alone," Hermione sniffed.

"You've really done your research," Draco said, sounding impressed. He hadn't expected Hermione to know so much about Quidditch. She didn't seem the type to be interested at all. He expected that the only reason she attended any of the school games were because Potter, Weasley, and Ginevra all played as well as general House spirit. Even if she cared enough about Quidditch to have a favorite team, he certainly hadn't expected her to know so much about the teams or how well they were doing.

"Ooh, he's drooling," Blaise teased.

"I think they really were a match made in Heaven," Ginny said with a grin.

"Shut up, Ginny," Hermione muttered. "He asked!"

"You must be his perfect woman…or his almost-perfect woman, seeing as how you're a Mu…" Blaise said then quickly cut himself off. He glanced to Draco uncertainly, then glanced away in confusion before finally sending an apologetic look to Hermione.

"And you were doing so well," Ginny said, though she didn't sound all that upset. She seemed to realize the effort the Slytherin boys were putting into this.

"They have been remarkably well behaved," Hermione commented.

"You make it sound like we're children," Draco said, wrinkling his nose. His voice, at least, seemed normal, for which he was grateful. He certainly didn't want to show how much Blaise and Ginny's comments had bothered him. Maybe he and Hermione _were_ soul mates but that didn't have to mean anything. Blaise was right; Hermione was a Muggle-born. Any interest he might have in her couldn't be real. It didn't matter how beautiful, smart, or how much he felt drawn to her. It was only the bond. The bond had made them had sex, and the bond was responsible for any confusing feelings he might have for her right now.

Draco found himself more aware of Hermione for the remainder of the night. He made sure not to look at, speak to or about her too much and was especially trying hard not to even think about her too much. Instead, he put more of his attention on Ginevra. That part wasn't very hard to do. Ginevra was just as pretty as Hermione with just the sort of spunky attitude to keep him interested. Midway through the meeting, her sharp words felt more playful than malicious, though she was especially clever with her retorts.

Blaise had made clear that he could never have feelings for Ginevra, as she was a blood-traitor Weasley. And, to Draco, being a blood-traitor was a step above being Muggle-born. She would surely help sort out his unnecessary thoughts and feelings for the Mudblood. When the time came to leave, Draco found the perfect opportunity to put his plan into action.

The girls were walking several yards ahead of them while Draco and Blaise lagged behind. "You know, I really think we've been wrong about them," Draco said quietly, hoping he was being loud enough for the girls to hear.

"They weren't so bad," Blaise admitted reluctantly.

"More interesting than half the girls we know," Draco snorted. "And, by Merlin, I don't think I've ever seen a girl so…stunning."

"Hmm," Blaise snorted.

"There's just something about Ginevra…I can't quite put my finger on it."

It worked. Draco grinned as Ginny turned to look at him, a puzzled but pleased look in her brown eyes. As their eyes met, they completely missed the looks that crossed their friends' faces. No one saw the hurt flash through Hermione's chocolate eyes. No one noticed the jealousy flash through Blaise's dark eyes as he sent a quick glare in Draco's direction, turning his own appreciative look to Ginny as she turned back around.

* * *

><p>Visiting hours were over at St. Mungo's, which meant the building was far quieter and less busy than it was during the day. It was the perfect time to put their plan into action.<p>

Penelope Clearwater didn't work in the mental health unit but Cedric Diggory's role as being a trainee in that part of the hospital helped. He only had to claim that Alice had accidentally hurt herself to anyone who questioned Penelope's presence. No one really gave them a second glance.

"Healer Tullos doesn't usually check on them too much at night but we should work quickly just in case," Cedric explained as they shut the door and hurried over to the beds Alice and Frank occupied.

"Hi, remember me?" Cedric asked as he stood between their beds, helping them up while Penelope dug the necessary equipment out of her bag, setting it up on one of the meal trays. "Remember what I talked to you about earlier?"

Both just gave him odd looks and Cedric sighed.

"If we need their blood, can't we just prick them and do it ourselves?" Penelope asked uncertainly.

"I don't know but I wouldn't want to risk messing it up," Cedric explained. "We can always try to help them write it."

"They won't get upset, will they?" Penelope asked. She wasn't familiar enough with the Longbottoms to know if they would have a fit over being touched or not.

"I don't think so," Cedric said with a frown.

"Is there anything you know for sure?" Penelope muttered.

"Just that we should do this now," Cedric said. "Come on."

Penelope carefully picked up both trays and carried them over to the beds, handing one to Cedric. He sat down on the bed beside Frank while Penelope carefully got on beside Alice. "Here, touch this to the tip of your finger," Cedric said, handing the quill to Frank.

Frank didn't question him and watched his hand curiously as he did as instructed. "Ow!" he hissed as it pricked his finger. "Bleeding."

"Yes, you're bleeding," Cedric said patiently, pulling the inkpot closer. "Now, dip the quill into this."

The wizard looked confused for a moment and just stared at the quill. Cedric frowned, prepared to take his hand then guide him, but Frank finally nodded his head and reached out to dip the feather of the quill into the ink. Cedric laughed shakily. "Now the other end."

"Odd," Frank said, then turned the quill around onto its side.

"Like this," Cedric said, turning the quill around properly.

"Oh," Frank said and held it.

"Now dip it," Cedric instructed.

"Kay," Frank said, slowly dipping the quill into the inkpot, as though he expected it to explode at any moment.

"Set it down. Right on the parchment," Cedric said, pushing the parchment closer to Frank. "Then repeat after me. _Nomen anima mea_."

"_Nomen…anima…mea_," Frank repeated dully.

"Good job, Frank," Cedric said, giving him a gentle pat on the back.

"Good job, Frank," Frank muttered.

Cedric pulled the tray into his own lap, watching as the quill scribbled along the parchment. He glanced up at Penelope's progress with Alice. They were just now setting the quill on the parchment while Penelope told Alice the words to say. When Cedric looked back down, the quill was finally dropping.

_The soul counterpart of Frank Emory Longbottom is one Mary Anne Macdonald_.

"It's not Alice," Cedric said, feeling some relief. That didn't necessarily mean they were in good shape. There was still so much they had to factor in. But the fact that it wasn't Alice gave them some hope.

"Who is it?" Penelope asked curiously as Alice's quill stood up to write.

"Mary Macdonald. I don't know who it is," Cedric admitted. "Hopefully someone in the Order will know. If not, I'm sure we can find her."

"I hope so," Penelope said, glancing from Alice to Frank sympathetically. She gasped and jumped when the quill dropped, the sound of it hitting the tray loud in the otherwise silent room.

"Who is it?" Cedric asked anxiously, setting the tray down on the bedside table.

Penelope looked down at it, her eyes growing wide. "Oh my God!" she gasped.

"What? What is it?" Cedric asked in a panic, jumping up then rushing over to their bed to see what it was.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Okay so I'm not totally happy with this chapter…I even considered cutting it, but looking at it and the outline, I realized it was necessary to have. I hope y'all like it better than I did lol. If not, I plan on working on the next chapter and hope to get it done very soon.

Don't forget you can like me on FB. Just search for my penname! I post there frequently and is a great place to keep updated with my writing, help me figure things out for my stories, have conversations with the author, and all sorts of fun stuff! Thank you so much to everyone who's liked it so far! 28 people now, which I think is amazing!

Thanks so much to all of my reviewers: AstrophobicChick, xXxElectraxXx, autumngold, Anniriel, Gemini Peverell, ashuraou, Pandesme, Lady DestinyHope, Tokugawa Blitzer, A.O.T.I.F., ieatmyfeelings, AlmondWithUnicornHair, vampy-chan17, Sirius-dorkis010, SlytherinPrincess1993, Reader-anonymous, Saintsational, and sev's-sexy-mistress!

I think it's amazing that I've noticed how all of my chapters lately have been hitting 15-18 reviews! My goal is to hopefully get 20 reviews for a chapter, so I would love it if y'all would help me out! Please, everyone, review! It would probably make me the happiest author ever, so if you haven't reviewed yet, please do! I'm not asking for much, just something that says you're reading and how you're liking the story so far! *sets up cookie/brownie/sweets stand for reviewers*

Big thanks to my beta, Dani, for fixing this up for me and being so awesome about getting my chapters back to me so fast! She's awesome!

Next chapter: Harry has trouble in Defense, Ron gets jealous, and Grace gets sneaky!


	20. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

* * *

><p><em>The soul counterpart of Alice Gillian Yarbrough is Amos Elvis Diggory.<em>

Cedric gaped down at the sight of his father's name as he sank onto the bed on the other side of Alice. For several minutes his mind was a jumbled mess, trying to comprehend what he was reading. Alice Longbottom's soul mate was his _father_! What about his mother? Screw what the book said about soul mates. His parents were too in love, too perfect for each other not to be soul mates. Cedric blinked rapidly and slowly shook his head. What was even more interesting was the fact that not only was Alice not his mother but she was the mother of _his_ soul mate. How strange.

"Wow," Cedric said, rubbing his hands over his face.

"It'll be okay, Cedric," Penelope said comfortingly. She had since moved the tray away and grabbed both sheets of parchment, rolling them up and setting them in Cedric's hands. "Alice and Frank aren't soul mates and you _know_ Alice's personally. This is good news, right?"

"I don't know," Cedric laughed shakily. "I have a feeling Mum won't like this at all."

Penelope smiled comfortingly and patted his shoulder. "I don't imagine anyone would be happy to learn that their spouse isn't their soul mate. Just sit down with the book and explain everything to them. Assure them that it doesn't have to ruin their marriage if they don't let it and that helping the Longbottoms would be a great thing. It'll turn out just fine."

Cedric wasn't so sure about that himself. Camilla Diggory was a wonderful wife and mother but she wasn't always the most understanding person in the world. He was sure it would take a lot of convincing to get her on board with things. In the end, though, wasn't it Amos's decision? It was too late at night to go into too much thought about that. Cedric shook his head and stood up, smiling at Penelope. "Thanks. I better go now. I'll bring these to Professor Dumbledore in the morning before work."

"Right," Penelope said. "Keep me updated, okay? Good luck with everything!"

He smiled and waved as he walked out of the door, stuffing the parchment into his robes. It was his feeling that he was going to need all the luck he could get when dealing with his parents.

* * *

><p>Harry was furious as he stormed into his Defense Against the Dark Arts class closely followed by a concerned looking Hermione and Ron. As other classmates trickled in, they shot him confused glances. Sirius frowned from behind his desk as he watched his godson kick the leg of a table angrily before throwing his bag to the floor and plopping down in the chair. He shot his friends a glare, as though daring them to argue against the day's seating arrangements. In most classes, Harry had to sit between them to keep them from arguing much. Today neither seemed to think it was prudent to ask him to change places and sat beside each other without complaint.<p>

Sirius stood up then walked across the room to his godson while the other seventh years came in. "Snivellus giving you trouble, still?"

"Mhm," Harry grunted moodily, yanking his book from his bag and slamming it onto the tabletop angrily.

"Want me to kill him?" he offered with a smile.

Harry snorted. "I would love for you to. I wouldn't tell anyone if you did."

"We'd _help_, wouldn't we, Harry?" Ron added.

"I would love to," Harry grumbled.

"What happened now?" Sirius asked curiously, hoping it was awful enough to give him a good excuse to do some damage to Snape.

"Same as usual," Harry said, rubbing his hands over his face, in the process pushing his glasses up into his hair. "I'm bloody useless with potions. Doesn't help that Nott keeps sabotaging my work. Snape goes around insulting me and pointing out every little thing I do wrong for everyone to hear. And…he's just an arse." No need to let anyone know the remarks Snape liked to make when no one else could hear. Mostly they involved sexual comments, how he was too focused on ogling his teacher to get the potion right, the bond _was_ part of the problem, to be honest, and downright cruel reminding Harry of his complete failure. The worst of comments were reserved for his ears only when he'd have no witnesses to help him at all. Surely, there was _something_ he could do about Snape. The potions master had never been so ruthless with him before, saving the worst of his torment for Neville. Snape's friendship with his mother could be in jeopardy if he bullied Harry the way he did other students. It didn't seem to matter to him now.

Detentions had been the worst events Harry could recall. The only thing he might say was worse would have been Umbridge's detentions his fifth year. Snape taunted him, urged him to lose the band and control. While Harry noticed the desire in those black eyes now and then, he didn't fully blame the man's attitude on the bond. Snape didn't act out of desperation or lust. Everything he said was malicious, as though he was more interested in further torturing Harry than actually enjoying a good shag. They spent more time fighting in those detentions than anything, barely getting any real work done with the bond. There were only a few experiments with potions and Occlumency. It was already two and a half weeks into the term with a few detentions a week and they hardly had anything to show for it. Now Dumbledore wanted to meet with them at the end of the week to discuss it!

"Maybe I can see if Dumb…Professor Dumbledore will let us bring Snape in as a practice dummy," Sirius said thoughtfully.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Professor Black, I think it's time for class to start."

"What? Is it?" Sirius asked, checking his pocket watch. "Oh, you're right! Thanks Herm…_Miss Granger_. Ten points for Gryffindor for paying more attention than me!"

Hermione sighed, shook her head, but also smiled softly.

Students enjoyed Professor Black's classes as much as they had enjoyed Professor Lupin's. The only difference was that Remus had been a good teacher who managed to get his students to enjoy learning. Sirius was a riot in class. He was very informal with students and encouraged them to do the same. Everything was casual and Sirius liked to have fun but he often needed reminding to actually teach his lessons. He was more interested in reliving his glory days as a Hogwarts student. No one really seemed to mind except for Hermione and some of the Ravenclaws in the class.

"Today let's talk…" Sirius said, flipping through the pages of the textbook on his desk. "_Unconventional Magic Techniques_," he read the chapter title. "Alright, chapter 25! Page…Eh…612."

While everyone turned to the correct pages, Sirius glanced over the material in the chapter then hopped up onto his desk, watching as the students got out their books. When everyone was looking back at him, Sirius grinned. "So…What are the…_unconventional magical techniques_ mentioned?"

Hermione's hand shot up into the air. Terry Boot and Lisa Turpin slowly followed suit. Sirius raised his eyebrows at them and folded his arms over his chest, leaning back a bit. "I will break you all of this habit eventually, you know."

"They talk about wandless, nonverbal, and combination spells," Hermione explained.

"Good! Five points for Gryffindor," Sirius said. He always seemed to get a lot of enjoyment out of awarding Gryffindor points. "Hmm…So, what are the good things about them?"

"The pros of using nonverbal spells include your adversary having no warning about what type of magic you are about to perform. You have a split-second advantage using them. Also, if you were trying to sneak up on someone, you wouldn't give away your location with the sound of your voice," Hermione explained immediately. Lisa had begun talking at the same time but stopped when Hermione launched into her explanation, glaring at the back of her head. "Wandless magic is very useful if you ever are caught without your wand. A combination of wandless and nonverbal magic is extremely useful, obviously, for all of the reasons I've already given."

"_Very_ good! Ten points," Sirius said, reaching behind him to grab a small ball from his desk, tossing it into the air and catching it while he looked around. "And the bad side of things?"

"No one can perform nonverbal or wandless spells as well as they can when they actually say the incantation aloud or with their wand," Hermione answered promptly. "They also take far more concentration to produce. There is also the fact that there are certain spells you cannot perform at all without the incantation or a wand because of how powerful they are, such as all three Unforgiveable Curses."

"Another ten points! Anything else you'd like to share with the class, Hermione?"

"Well, obviously everyone has performed nonverbal, wandless magic in their lives. Children's wild magic is obviously both. It also proves a good point about that sort of magic, though. It's unpredictable. Even fully trained, mature wizards can have bouts of 'accidental' magic which are always nonverbal and wandless. But they're dangerous. Very few wizards have actually been successful in producing nonverbal, wandless magic that they could actually control and make use of," Hermione replied.

It went back and forth for several minutes. Hermione named the seven people mentioned in the book who had been proficient with nonverbal and wandless spells, five of which being the obvious answers of Merlin and the school founders. The other two names, Hermione commented, she had heard before though she couldn't remember from where. She was also able to answer that nonverbal spells were easier than wandless spells, why wizards needed a wand for spellcasting, why incantations were needed, and almost everything covered in the chapter. Sirius had eventually grabbed the book and flipped to random pages, asking for definitions and other questions, daring Hermione to answer without her book, which she did flawlessly. She also managed to earn Gryffindor a great deal of points, to the irritation of the other Houses.

"Well, now, that's enough of that," Sirius said, clearing his throat. He tossed the book aside. When it hit his desk, it ended up sliding across it and fell off, landing on the floor with a loud _thud_. He made no move to pick it up. "Now, I think you learned a little bit about nonverbal spells last year, right?"

"We were supposed to," sighed Terry Boot. "It was supposed to be sixth year curriculum but Tonks wasn't very good at it."

Nymphadora Tonks had taken a year off from being an Auror to teach Defense last year, per request. But, with Voldemort growing in power, the Auror department needed everyone they could get on their team, which was why she hadn't come back this year. Harry had a feeling that the only reason anyone might miss her was how amusing she was in class, tripping over everything and being able to change her appearance.

"No, I don't doubt she wasn't," Sirius muttered. The very mention of the woman's name made him stiffen. Harry wondered why, but had little time to wonder about it. "Now, I suppose we'll just have to practice, then! We'll start off small, since you didn't get much practice last year. Everybody up!"

Sirius divided everyone into pairs and ordered them to stand in two lines. One line was to try to jinx their partner while the other had to shield against it, all done nonverbally. Sirius hopped back onto his desk to watch with promise of further instruction after they gave it a try. Ron was purple in the fact as he tried to jinx Harry, lips pressed tightly together to ignore the temptation to actually verbalize the spell. Hermione, who was beside him, managed to repel Neville's muttered Jelly-Legs Jinx that earned her twenty points from Sirius. She beamed at him before turning back to Neville to continue practicing.

Harry let himself relax, not really expecting Ron to actually do it. After a few minutes, Sirius had them change so that Harry's line of people was the one jinxing while the other line shielded against it. Harry stood up straighter, pointing his wand towards Ron as he thought of the incantation in his head for the Stretching Jinx. _Extendam, extendam, extendam_, he thought hard repeatedly, willing the jinx to work. He envisioned the jinx working, pictured in his head what should be happening. It was hard with other people whispering the words and ruining his concentration, especially when Hermione succeeded in performing the Dancing Feet spell on Neville.

"Come on now, no cheating!" Sirius called out when Draco muttered the _Langlock_ jinx against Blaise.

"Stop that, he's not your partner!" hissed Hermione. Harry, out of the corner of his eye, had also seen Theodore mutter the Tripping Jinx against Draco instead of his partner Pansy. Draco was now sprawled on the floor at Blaise's feet, blushing madly. Hermione shot Theodore a nasty look before running forward to help Draco up.

"I don't need your help, Mudblood," Draco spat, pride obviously wounded. Harry glared at him, half tempted to repeat what Theodore had done against him.

"Hey now, none of that!" Sirius called out, glaring at Draco, as well.

"You're not the professor, are you, Granger? No matter how much you want to be," Theodore said.

"Yes, well, I _am_ the professor and I happen to agree with Hermione," Sirius said, turning his glower to Nott. "Ten points from Slytherin for attacking someone other than your partner _and_ saying the incantation aloud. Another five points for uncalled for language, Malfoy. Back in line."

Hermione, looking a bit wounded, returned to her spot in front of Neville. Harry reached out and gave her arm a comforting squeeze before pointing his wand back at Ron. _Extendam_, he went back to repeating in his mind. He was starting to get frustrated but was doing his best not to slip and actually say it aloud.

After a while, he could feel the magic start to roll through him, causing excitement to follow it. Was it working now?

"You're not supposed to say it aloud," Hermione hissed.

Was he saying it aloud?

Before Harry could focus on what he was doing to find out if he was, there was a loud bang and a harsh force propelled him backwards. He barely had time to think before he hit the wall, hard, and the floor nearly as bad. Someone was screaming. Harry was too shocked at first to recognize anything but, slowly, he became aware of how badly his head was throbbing, that he couldn't see anything, and the warm liquid he felt running down the side of his face could only be blood.

"Ronnie!" he heard Hannah Weasley shriek.

"You're not supposed to attack yourself while you attack someone else, Pothead!" Nott called out.

"Can it, Nott," Sirius snapped. "Harry, are you alright?"

"Harry?" Hermione asked with concern.

He wanted to tell them he was fine but couldn't. He tried to open his eyes but wasn't sure if he succeeded or not. He still saw black.

"They both look like they need to get to the hospital wing," came Neville's voice.

"Is Ron bad?"

"About as bad as Harry," Neville said.

"Did one of them do this?" Sirius said, jerking his head in the direction of the Slytherins.

"I don't know, really," Hermione admitted. "It looked like Nott was trying something but I wasn't paying enough attention. I'm so sorry, Harry."

"Not…" Harry said, trying to tell her it wasn't her fault, but failing.

"So it was him? Nott! Another ten points from Slytherin and a detention!" Sirius barked.

"Is he okay?" Draco asked.

"What's it to you?" Sirius growled.

"I don't know. We need to get him to the infirmary," Hermione said, sliding her arms under Harry to try to pull him up.

"Woman, are you a witch or not?" Draco muttered.

"Don't point your wand at him!" Sirius snapped.

Draco didn't seem to heed the warning as Harry suddenly found himself hovering in midair.

"I only thought magic might be a better way of getting him there but I can always drop him if you want," Draco said sarcastically.

"Hermione, go with them," Sirius said.

"I will," Hermione promised.

Harry wanted to move or say something but was stuck. He should have been panicking, he thought, but found it just as hard to feel anything as it was to _do_ anything. As Draco and Hermione led him out of the classroom, Harry slowly felt himself drift off into blackness.

* * *

><p>Madam Pomfrey was able to fix up Ron and Harry as only she could. Both had concussions from hitting stone walls and stone floors so hard, Ron having the added addition of being ten feet tall due to the Stretching Jinx that Madam Pomfrey also had to undo. Hannah was left crying at her husband's bedside while the Gryffindors all crowded around Harry, along with Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, who had followed him. Grace Potter joined them the moment she heard, looking strangely somber.<p>

It was a little under an hour before Harry and Ron finally woke up only to have more potions shoved down their throats. Madam Pomfrey wasn't too happy to have them leave but, with promises to take care of themselves, she finally relented. Grace spent several minutes fussing over her brother while Hannah did the same with Ron until, finally, the group managed to make its way out of the infirmary and into the corridors.

Grace had to be rushed off to her own Defense Against the Dark Arts class while most of the sixth and seventh years crowded around had free periods. Hermione decided to go for a walk outside, inviting Ginny, Harry, Draco, and Blaise to come along. Harry, apologetically, declined the invitation since he had already promised Ron they could go over plays and things before practice with the team that evening. That left Hermione with her best girl friend and two Slytherins, though that was nothing new these days. The group had been meeting every other day or two since the first time, usually after curfew to avoid being seen by everyone, and generally in the Room of Requirement to avoid being caught. Today it didn't seem to matter to them who saw them all together. Hermione and Ginny had stopped caring altogether after the first time while the boys were just now getting used to the idea of being seen acting friendly towards the Gryffindor girls, a Muggle-born and a blood traitor.

"Do you guys really think it was Theo?" Blaise asked as they headed down to the lake.

"Harry said it was Nott," Hermione said with a shrug.

"The way he's been acting, I wouldn't be surprised," Draco said. "You've seen how he is, Blaise."

"Yeah, I know," Blaise admitted, though he looked troubled.

"Don't tell me you're defending that git," Ginny said, eyes narrowed.

"Does it sound like I am?" Blaise snapped. "I was only asking."

"Don't jump on his arse, Ginevra," Draco said. "He was our friend for a long time. Even I have to admit his recent behavior isn't really…Well, it's not very like the Theo Nott we grew up with."

"Yeah, well, people change when they take that Mark," Hermione said with a frown.

Ginny snorted. "Are you kidding? That's the kind of thing they've _all_ been doing since they got here."

Draco glared at her but Blaise laughed. "She's got a point." With that, Draco's face relaxed and he snickered.

"What we did to Potter were harmless pranks," Draco said with a sniff.

"Right," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"What? You don't believe me?" Draco asked, dramatically putting his hand over his heart. "That wounds me, Hermione."

"You broke Harry's nose last year!" Hermione exclaimed though she couldn't help but laugh as she said it. She felt she should probably be taking this more seriously. They all should. Their history wasn't all that good and they were talking about her soul mate breaking her best friend's nose.

"I _almost_ broke it," Draco corrected.

"You stomped on his face, then," Hermione said, folding her arms over her chest and sitting down under a tree with a huff. As this was done just as dramatically as Draco's actions, the three laughed and Hermione struggled not to laugh along with them.

"You punched me in the face third year if you'll recall," Draco pointed out.

"You deserved it! And what does _me_ punching you have to do with _you_ injuring Harry?" Hermione asked.

"That's a matter of opinion," Draco sniffed. "Potter deserved what he got just as well! He was eavesdropping!"

"Spying would be a more accurate term," Blaise offered.

"Oh, don't you start in," Ginny teased.

"See? He was spying!" Draco said triumphantly.

"You can't blame him for mistrusting you. You are a completely evil prat, you know," Hermione said wisely.

"Evil…?" Draco began.

"He didn't even question the prat part of it," Ginny pointed out.

"Hush it, Ginger. No one asked for your input," Draco shot back.

It was a real testament of how well these meetings had been going that no one looked offended by now. At least not seriously offended.

"Ginger? That's a step up from blood traitor or Weaselette. Good work, ferret-face," Ginny said with a sweet smile.

"Ferret-face? I'm nice with my insults and you go there? Very cheap, Ginger Weasel," Draco said.

"At least no one's come up with any creative names for me," Blaise said smugly.

Ginny and Hermione grinned, glanced at each other then turned their mischievous eyes back to Blaise. "Oh, I'm sure we'll come up with something."

Draco clapped Blaise on the back. "You just challenged the most vindictive witch and the smartest witch in our school to come up with an insult for you. Good job."

"…Damn it," Blaise muttered, shaking his head.

"Hey! I'm _not_ vindictive," Ginny argued.

"Are you feeling okay, Draco? I think you complimented me," Hermione laughed.

"Well, you have red hair _and_ you're a Weasley," Draco said to Ginny. Then to Hermione he offered, "And _you_ would do well not to act to surprised. I can always go back to calling you an overbearing know-it-all with dirty blood."

"I think you like me," Hermione teased to which Draco felt his face heat up.

"What does having red hair have to do with anything?" Ginny demanded with a laugh.

"Having red hair and being a Weasley are the reasons for everything that's wrong with you, of course," Draco said.

"And here I thought we were getting along," Ginny said, leaning over to bump teasingly into Draco's side.

"You started it! You called me ferret-face!" Draco exclaimed.

"No, you started it by calling me Ginger," Ginny reminded him.

"…Oh. Yeah," Draco said.

The foursome laughed then moved onto other subjects. They spent a short amount of time discussing the greater animosity between Harry and Snape in Potions, catching Ginny up on the latest lesson while Draco struggled not to make remarks about their sex life being involved. Such as, maybe, one was upset with the other for no longer putting out, Snape refusing to fuck Harry over his desk, or other such things since Blaise likely didn't know about the sexual component to Snape and Harry's bond as well as that Ginny and Hermione would probably get mad at him if he spilled the news. Following that, they discussed the day's classes for a short time, though they had to quickly move off the subject before Hermione got too involved in it. Finally, they landed on Quidditch with a healthy debate and sense of competition over the new season at Hogwarts. Draco had been made captain of the Slytherin team this year and refused to tell the Gryffindors anything about the Slytherin tryouts he had been holding the past few evenings.

"…no offense or anything, Draco," Ginny was saying, "but Harry _is_ a better Seeker."

"Like I say, it's only a matter of opinion. Biased opinion, at that," Draco said.

"It's a _fact_!" Ginny exclaimed with a wide grin. "Has his record shown you nothing?"

"He's only lucky," Draco argued.

"He's _good_," Hermione interjected. "Brilliant actually! It's okay, though, Draco…he only has natural talent on his side."

"Hey now! I'll have you know that I possess a great deal of natural talent!"

"Natural talent for choosing the right hair care products maybe," Ginny muttered under her breath.

"Oh. Like my hair, do you?" Draco said with a grin.

"Oh, I love it," Ginny said sarcastically, reaching over to ruffle his blond hair.

"DON'T DO THAT!" Draco cried out, ducking his head to try to get away from her hand. His head might have landed in Hermione's lap had it not been for the protective band she was wearing. She didn't always wear it, he noted. He had been able to put his arm around her on the Hogwarts Express, though that was mainly due to the fact that Grace had stolen and hidden it before they boarded the train. He found that out in an argument the girls had halfway through the trip. Some days Draco was able to shove her playfully or ruffle her hair as Ginny had just done to him while others he was stopped by some invisible barrier. He was slightly bothered by the realization that she was wearing it, feeling his good mood slipping away without his consent.

"Awwww. Is Drakey-poo sensitive about his hair?" Ginny teased.

"Ugh. Don't call me that," Draco grumbled, sitting up. His voice held more of a bite than it usually did, as proven by the surprised looks on his friends' faces. Draco forced himself to grimace and try to look more amused. "Pansy used to call me that."

"Oh…Gross," Ginny said with a shudder. "Sorry, pookie."

"I really hate you, Ginevra."

As the friends continued to joke around, Draco became aware of the group not too far from them. Sitting around another tree several yards away were familiar faces; Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hannah Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnegan, Susan Bones, and Megan Jones. Harry and Ron had their brooms in their laps with broom servicing kits, fixing them up while they chatted animatedly with their group of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff friends. Only, Ron didn't seem so keen on their conversation anymore. Instead, his blue eyes were narrowed at his ex-girlfriend and her new friends.

Draco smirked as a new idea formulated in his mind. Very casually, he moved his arm to wrap around Hermione but, suddenly, found his movement stalled. Quickly he moved his arm to scratch the back of his head instead. He felt his face heat up, heart racing slightly in embarrassment over what he had almost done and hadn't quite been able to do. Hermione didn't seem to have noticed Draco's move but Blaise had. The other wizard's dark eyes glanced to Ron then he scooted closer to Hermione and slid his arm around her shoulders. He leaned in closer so that Hermione tensed then pressed his mouth closer to her ear. "Your boyfriend's jealous."

"Ex-boyfriend," Hermione corrected stiffly, glancing at Ron, as well.

"Yes, well, he's jealous," Blaise said.

"I don't see why when he's got his pretty little wife hanging on his every word," Hermione muttered.

Draco could hear their whispered conversation so he knew that Blaise was only doing this to help Hermione out, as would have been his excuse for touching her in the first place. Still seeing his best friend's arm around _his_ woman like that made him feel…no, he wasn't jealous. It had to be something else. Irritated. Yes, he was irritated! Blaise had his own soul mate to worry about, didn't he? Why didn't he care about Ginny's feelings over this whole thing?

"Ron is such a prat," Ginny muttered, seeming to finally notice her brother's glaring. "I love him but he's been so stupid ever since breaking up with Hermione."

"He's always been a bit on the slower side, Ginevra," Draco assured her.

"I should probably be mad that you're insulting my brother," Ginny muttered. "But that idiot deserves it."

Ginny then cleared her throat, scooted closer, shifted around where she sat then, quite clearly, for everyone to see, took Draco's hand into her own, lacing their fingers together. This time around, Draco was more aware of the reaction of his friends. Gray eyes glanced to his left, watching the way Blaise's eyes narrowed at him and the way Hermione's lips tightened then curled down into a frown. Draco was too surprised to think much of it now and could only look to his right at a smirking Ginny then ahead of him to a stunned Ron Weasley.

"I…I told you, you had a mean streak," Draco finally said, grinning at the female Weasley.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ginny replied innocently.

"You're purposefully giving your brother a heart attack, that's what!" Draco laughed.

Indeed, Ron looked ready to explode. His face was going from red to purple while his mouth was wide open, surely spitting out venomous words directed to the Slytherin boys. Faintly, they could hear his voice, though not enough of it to understand what exactly he was saying. Their friends all looked shocked until Ron pointed at them, at which point Draco, Ginny, Hermione, and Blaise looked around at each other and pretended not to notice.

"Act natural. Act like we're talking," Ginny whispered.

"Or we can actually talk," Draco suggested sarcastically. "Don't see the point in moving your mouth for no reason."

"I know a lot of ways we can move our mouths," Blaise muttered suggestively.

"Oh hush it, Blaise!" Hermione snapped.

"Aww, that's the first time she's said my name. I like the way it sounds," Blaise said cheekily.

"Shut _up_, Blaise!" Draco snapped, feeling very tempted to reach over and punch his friend in the face as hard as he could.

"Yes, please stop _flirting_ with Hermione. It's rather disturbing," Ginny said, wrinkling her nose. Draco couldn't help but find the action somewhat cute.

"Like you two have any room to talk," Hermione muttered.

Ginny looked surprised by her friend's comment but shrugged. "Alright then, I'll leave you both to it."

"To _what_ exactly?" Hermione demanded, sounding annoyed.

"Whatever the bloody hell you're doing!" Ginny replied. "Merlin, what is with you today?"

Hermione muttered unintelligibly then leaned in closer to Blaise. In their peripheral vision, they noticed that Ron was standing up, making as if to come over to them while Harry, Hannah, and Neville were all standing to try to hold him back.

"I wonder how the new Mrs. Weasley is taking to her husband's jealousy," Blaise muttered.

"They're probably more worried about how mad he is over seeing his baby sister with the mean ole Malfoy," Ginny said.

"Knowing Ron, he's too hot-headed to think about covering up his jealousy," Hermione pointed out.

"True," Ginny said. "But I'm sure we'll find out before long."

"Ginevra, I must tell you, if your brother tries anything I _will_ hex him," Draco warned.

"Not if I hex him first," Ginny replied.

"I call first shot!" Hermione snapped at them, and then fell over into giggles.

"If you all get to hex him then so do I," Blaise said.

"It's a date then," Ginny said.

"A double date?" Hermione questioned.

"Of course! What better way to spend time together," Ginny laughed.

"Date? You haven't even asked yet," Draco teased.

"Well then!" Ginny giggled. "Darling Draco, will you do me the honor of hexing my brother with me and our friends as a date?"

"I'll have to think about it."

"Can we at least snog. I'd love to see what he does about that," Ginny suggested.

"What?" Hermione shrieked.

"Yes. Alright," Draco said, heart suddenly doing a small dance in his chest. The way her bright brown eyes glittered with mischief made her intentions quite clear. This was for the benefit of thoroughly enraging her brother. Draco himself could see some good coming from upsetting the Weasel. But he also couldn't help but feel that kissing Ginny Weasley was a bit more exciting than just that.

She was so pretty. He knew plenty of blokes at this school would be jealous to see him with her. Draco could feel several pairs of eyes burning into them as he and Ginny leaned closer to one another. Ginny slid her arms around his neck while he placed his around her middle. There was temptation to look around to see just how furious Ron was then to see how upset Blaise and Hermione would look. Had they really been jealous of Ginny's actions towards him earlier or had he misconstrued the looks for something else? He was curious about the reactions of everyone involved, but it would ruin things if he did. Instead, Draco pressed his lips against Ginny's, enjoying the feel of her soft lips beneath his, her sweet taste, and the way her smaller body fitted so perfectly against him.

Later on, Draco wouldn't be sure what had been better; the sputtering of Ronald Weasley or the fantastic kisser his sister turned out to be. What he did know was that he hadn't had a better afternoon in quite some time.

* * *

><p>Harry Potter had inherited two very important items from their father's youth: the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map. It wasn't fair to Grace, who surely would have gotten more and better use out of them! While they may have belonged to Harry, though, it didn't stop Grace from nicking them whenever she really needed to. It wasn't too hard to get into the boys' dormitories and snoop around her brother's things. Harry was too busy trying to calm Ron down before going to dinner to notice her. With giddy excitement, Grace hid herself beneath the cloak and held the map tightly to her chest as she slowly sneaked out of Gryffindor Tower and down to the dungeons.<p>

It was lucky that Grace saw Astoria Greengrass on her way there and was able to sneak into Snape's office alongside the other girl. The Slytherin girl seemed moody as she combed her fingers through her honey blond hair, pouting then coming to stop in front of Snape's desk. The potions master glared at her then nodded for her to sit, which she did unhappily.

"You know why you're here?" Snape asked. Grace grinned and quietly walked to one dark corner of the room to watch and wait.

"No," Astoria replied, obviously lying.

Snape raised an eyebrow, just staring at her for a moment, before sitting up straight and grabbing a quill from his desk top. He twirled the quill around in his fingers while he examined Astoria until the girl was shifting nervously in her seat. "Should I write to your mother and inform her that you attacked your sister."

"I did not attack her! She's lying!" Astoria wailed. "I was only upset. It wasn't _me_ who chucked that book at her head!"

"Then who _was_ it?" Snape drawled.

"I dunno! I wasn't looking!" Astoria exclaimed. "It really wasn't me!"

"Daphne seems to think it was," Snape replied. "She says you are…upset…over her arrangements with Mr. Charles Weasley."

"He's a blood traitor, a Gryffindor and he's old!" Astoria said. "She could do so much better."

"Harry Potter is a half blood Gryffindor and yet you have a liking for him, do you not, Astoria?" Snape pointed out.

Grace had to slap her hand over her face to stop from giggling. Snape seemed to stiffen. Grace cringed then watched him closely but he relaxed and didn't seem to think anything of whatever he heard.

"I do not!" Astoria denied. "Besides, I'm not the only one upset over it. Theodore didn't like it either! Or Pansy or Millicent or…or Vincent and Gregory…or…anyone, really! Everyone's mad at her! It could have been _anyone¸_ Professor Snape! But it wasn't me! She's my sister!"

"Then why did you perform the Jelly Legs Jinx on Daphne?" Snape asked.

"Because she threw the book at _me_! Must have done it because she thought I did it to begin with…but it wasn't, I swear, Professor!" Astoria said, tears starting to fill up in her blue-green eyes.

"Stop that," Snape commanded, looking uncomfortable at the sight of the girl's tears. Grace wondered if he had a soft spot for his Slytherins or something. He wouldn't get all weird over just any girl crying, would he? She heard he used to make Neville cry all the time in his first and second years! Though Neville wasn't a girl, so maybe that didn't count. One day she was going to have to ask.

"I'll…I'll take Veritaserum, Professor!" Astoria offered eagerly.

"You know that is prohibited here at Hogwarts," Snape replied with a heavy sigh. "I will be taking ten points from Slytherin for the fight between you and your sister but that's it. If Daphne comes to me again with these stories, however, I will have to assume you _are_ behind this."

"Yes, sir! Thank you so much!" Astoria said happily.

"Go on to dinner," Snape said, waving her off.

Gosh, sometimes Grace wished she had been in Slytherin! Harry had almost gotten in there, that lucky bastard! Grace had gone straight into Gryffindor, no other suggestions from the Sorting Hat. It would have been nice. They had such attractive blokes in Slytherin and Snape was so easy on them! If she was in Slytherin, she would have also known about Astoria's little crush on Harry! Well, sooner than now, anyway. She could have been teasing Harry _and_ Astoria about this for…Well, however long it had been true.

Now that Astoria was gone, Grace waited impatiently for Snape to finish up his paperwork then to get up to leave for dinner. He took so long and Grace was ready to yell at him to just go when he finally did. Grace counted slowly to ten in her head before opening the map and whispering, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." As the map revealed the castle and its occupants, Grace watched the Slytherin corridors until it was mostly cleared. No one would overhear her if she made too much noise and she wouldn't be at as much of a risk of anyone barging in. Grace wiggled around in her corner anxiously until finally it seemed like almost everyone was in the Great Hall.

Giggling merrily, Grace tossed the cloak aside and set the map on the desk then sat in Snape's chair. She began picking up everything on his desk in her search while humming a quiet tune. When she didn't find it on top of his desk, she began searching the drawers. Most of them were locked but the top drawers on either side of the desk weren't. Hopefully, they would be in one of them. Grace glanced into the left one first then let out a squeal of pleasure as she grabbed the special quill and inkpot. That was so great! Snape didn't even seem to care all that much about his special invention lying around.

It took a bit more searching to find a spare bit of parchment, but after a few minutes was finally ready to start. Remembering what she had seen take place a handful of times before, Grace pricked her finger with the tip of the quill, dipped it into the ink, set it on the parchment then repeated the same Latin words everyone else had. She bit her bottom lip and grinned as the quill stood up and began writing while tugging nervously at the ends of her curly red hair out of habit.

_The soul counterpart_…

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," Grace muttered, willing the quill to move faster. She had been dying to do this since Fred and George told them about it! Now that she was finally here, finally about to see whom her soul mate was, it was taking too long!

…_of Grace Lily Potter_…

"Bloody hell, you're going to kill me!" Grace whispered dramatically to the parchment. "I'm going to die having a heart attack if you don't hurry up! And a real heart attack, not the one Ron was claiming he had. A real one! And I'll really die! You don't want that, do you? Please, please, please?"

…_is…_

"Oh dear Merlin," Grace said, sinking back into the chair and throwing her arm over her eyes while she waited for the quill to drop. She didn't want to ruin the surprise! Even as eager as she was, she wanted it to be a surprise, to look at the whole name when it was all done! Her heart was jumping around excitedly in her chest while her stomach twisted around and around so that she felt she might be sick everywhere.

That would be funny for Snape to walk into. Coming back from dinner, all stuffed full of delicious food, to see vomit all over his desk and floor. That would make him hurl, wouldn't it? Grace would like to think so. If not, then he'd at least be very, very mad. Maybe he'd make Filch come clean it up. Or one of the Slytherins. Nah, he liked his Slytherins too much. He'd find Neville and make him do it. He hated Neville.

Poor Neville. Grace would just have to make sure she didn't get sick.

Or maybe she could make it look like Theodore Nott did it! That jerk had attacked her brother and Ron, after all. Maybe if it were him Snape _would_ make him clean it…

Finally, the quill dropped and Grace jumped. Forgetting all thoughts of sickness and cleaning, Grace leaned forward, her whole body shaking in nervous excitement as she read the name. Her hazel eyes skimmed across the words, then finally landed on the name.

"Holy mother of Merlin!" Grace shrieked, slapping her hands over her mouth.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Another cliffhanger…Oops! Couldn't help myself!

Don't forget to like me on FB for statuses on my stories, teasers, any other information, help me make decisions regarding my stories, talk to me and fellow readers, and probably a lot of other stuff too!

Thanks so much to my reviewers: Anniriel, Tokugawa Blitzer, autumngold, xXxElectraxXx, AstrophobicChick, Nocturnal Rose, Sirius-dorkis010, IceprincessIsis3, Kayya, Sheankelor, Deatheaters-Anonymous, Lady DestinyHope, Reader-anonymous, sev's-sexy-mistress, ieatmyfeelings, AlmondWithUnicornHair, Pandesme, and monkeygirl66! 18 reviews that chapter, awesome! I also noticed a few new people reviewing, which I think is amazing and I thank everyone so much for taking the time to review! I do remind everyone of my little goal from last chapter! I'm hoping to get 20 reviews for a chapter sometime soon, so if everyone would please take the time to review this chapter I would be totally grateful! If I can get 20 reviews for one chapter I would be sooooooo so happy and I would love you all forever! *sets up snack table for reviewers and hugs everyone excitedly who does*

Also a huge thanks to my beta, Dani, for being awesome and getting this back to me so quick and being the best beta a girl could ask for!

Next chapter: Something's wrong with Severus and Remus/Sirius interactions! We also finally learn the reasons behind the Patronus issues.


	21. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

* * *

><p>Severus had noticed things were a bit abnormal for the past week and a half but it wasn't until Wednesday morning that it was all put into perspective. It was still dark outside when he woke from a fitful sleep. Nightmares were not an uncommon occurrence, though he normally remembered to take Dreamless Sleep to avoid them. The meeting last night had been awful and, because he woke up on his couch instead of his bed, he assumed he had been too exhausted to make it far, thus missing out on taking his almost nightly potion was understandable. He hated going without though. As addictive as the stuff could be, it was almost worth being hooked to avoid nights like these. The images from the nightmares lingered even as he opened his eyes and he felt panic set in as the flames, jets of brilliant light, blood, a woman's screams, the cackling laughter of the other Death Eaters, and the pain rippling through his body consumed him.<p>

"Is Professor Sir okay?" squeaked the voice of Mimsy, the house elf.

In his confusion, Severus blinked rapidly and sat up. The living area of his private chambers came into focus and he rubbed his eyes sleepily. His racing heart slowed down as his black eyes settled on the elf, her arms full of his laundry, large blue-violet eyes staring worriedly at him. Mimsy seemed to have taken a liking to Severus that he didn't fully understand. Though he suspected it might have been because he forbade any other elf in the castle to enter his chambers. He had a very specific way he liked his things cared for and only Mimsy seemed capable of performing things to his satisfaction. She even acted as a good aid with particularly difficult potions as she had once served a potions master before coming to Hogwarts. Mimsy, at least, wasn't quite as exuberant as her fellow house elves so he decided he didn't mind her very much.

"I'm fine. Carry on," Severus muttered, gently rubbing his temples.

Mimsy nodded and dropped the laundry on the floor then walked to his bathroom to gather the towels, rags, and other items she needed to. Meanwhile, Severus wearily glanced around the room and weighed his options. He could stay awake and get some work done or he could take a small amount of Dreamless Sleep then rest for another few hours before he had to wake up. The latter was risky. While he knew Dumbledore would accept that he needed to rest if he didn't show up for breakfast, Severus was not fine with missing any of his classes. He'd have to take something to give him a bit of energy but it would be worth it. He could spend this time debriefing with Dumbledore since he hadn't last night, work on potions that Poppy had requested, and, maybe, even grade a few papers. He muttered a quick summoning spell to retrieve his strongest energy potion from his bedroom and glanced at the door.

When several moments passed and no phial came zooming towards him, Severus's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Blasted…Where's my wand?" he muttered to himself, patting the front of his robes until he felt the ebony wood. When he pulled it out, he waved it in the direction of his door and muttered the spell again. At the sound of a loud crash, he jumped to his feet and hurried to his room, followed closely by a shrieking Mimsy.

The top drawer of his bedside table, where most potions for his personal use resided, was on the floor, several broken phials surrounding it while variously colored liquids oozed together. He was already calculating the damage in his head as he raised his wand to clean the mess. Already the Dreamless Sleep and Wakefulness Potion were bubbling while another energy potion was hissing as it was mixed with Veritaserum.

"No Professor Sir, don't!" Mimsy cried out, tears rolling down her face now. "Please, don't sir! Professor Sir will get hurt! Mimsy will do it! Mimsy will clean it all up!" In only a matter of seconds, the mess was cleaned and Mimsy was picking up the broken glass of his phials. "No fixing these ones, sir. Professor Sir buys very good phials but not good with outside magic, no sir! But Mimsy will clean it up and Professor Sir will make new potions in no time!"

* * *

><p>"I think it's about time we discussed your progress, my boys."<p>

Neither Severus nor Harry was happy about being in the headmaster's office. Severus would have preferred trying to drill knowledge into the miniscule minds of first years while Harry thought the idea of snoring through Binns's History of Magic lesson was tempting. There were only two things worse than this conversation; one being the actual lessons or meetings themselves while the other, of course, was facing Voldemort. They didn't want to talk about it. They didn't even want to be in each other's presence or face that damnable twinkle in Albus Dumbledore's blue eyes. They sat with their chairs as far apart as Dumbledore would allow both determinedly looking at opposite walls, away from each other and away from Dumbledore.

"Have either of you noticed any progress with your bond?" Dumbledore asked.

"Potter's potion skills are as appalling as ever," Severus drawled. "But, with the point Lily and the boy's father made about their own weaknesses, I'm not surprised. I'll admit, with some surprise, that the boy seems to have mastered Occlumency."

"I don't think he has," Dumbledore said.

That got their attention. Harry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he turned to stare at Dumbledore, a knowing glint in his eyes. Severus, meanwhile, had slowly raised one of his own brows doubtfully. "I assure you, headmaster, that I was there. I was unable to get into his mind at all."

"Oh, I believe that," Dumbledore explained. "What I doubt is that Harry has mastered Occlumency."

There was a long moment of silence before Severus spoke again. "Forgive me, but I don't understand."

"Nothing to forgive, Severus," Dumbledore said with a smile. Severus rolled his eyes. "What I mean to say is that your Legilimency skills are suffering."

"I beg your pardon?" Severus said, voice cold and challenging.

Dumbledore chuckled. "I also believe your Occlumency skills might be in jeopardy. Might I perform a test?"

"Very well," Severus said, folding his arms over his chest. He was unconcerned, mentally preparing himself for the attack. He had done this countless of times before, relied on this particular skill to stay alive while he spied on Voldemort and the Death Eaters, and anticipated no trouble at all, though he did wonder what on earth was going through his employer's brilliant mind.

He felt Dumbledore's entrance into his mind and…

Nothing. He couldn't do anything but sit there as painful memories were ripped to the forefront of his consciousness. Hearing that Lily was missing, maybe dead…the pure joy as he read in the _Daily Prophet_ of Lily's release from a Death Eater prison…James and Lily's bonding…Death Eater meetings…Witnessing countless rapes and murders…His most recent nightmare…The events that took place so early that morning…

Severus slumped down into the chair in shock as Dumbledore frowned and looked at him sadly. Harry looked between them both warily. Severus didn't even know what to say. He had never had this problem before. "H…How?" he managed to croak out.

"Your magic has been a bit chaotic recently, hasn't it?" Dumbledore asked instead.

"No," Severus replied stiffly.

"No?" Harry said, obviously confused.

"No?" Dumbledore asked. "What about your Defense lesson last week, Harry? When you and Mr. Ronald Weasley ended up in Madam Pomfrey's care?"

"That was because someone cursed us or something," Harry said.

"No, Harry," Dumbledore said, slowly shaking his head. "When Professor Black sent Theodore Nott to my office I checked his wand. The last spell performed with it was the Stretching Jinx that was used on Mr. Weasley."

Harry's eyes grew wide. "But I…No! That's what _I_ did!"

"No, Harry, you didn't," Dumbledore explained. "You're losing control of your magic."

"No, I'm not!" Harry snapped, fear more than anger in his green eyes.

"I also heard you've been having issues in Quidditch lately," Dumbledore pointed out.

"I'm just having a rough time. I need to get my broom checked out," Harry retorted.

"Is your wand, too, to blame for the various explosions that have taken place in all of your classes? I've received permission from several of your teachers to view their memories. Going over them, we realize that you are performing almost flawlessly. The correct wand movements, the correct incantation but _something_ goes wrong, doesn't it, Harry?"

"Maybe there _is_ something wrong with my wand," Harry muttered, pulling it out of his robes and turning it around in his hands.

"But you're not the only one," Dumbledore pointed out. "Professor Snape has also been having difficulties."

"I have not," Severus snapped.

"They haven't been as big as Harry's until today, Severus, but we have noticed things," Dumbledore pointed out. "You splinched yourself three nights ago. It happens to the best of people so we thought nothing of it. But that wasn't the only thing. You ruined three sleeping potions in the past week, you cannot perform Legilimens or Occlumency, and. I recall, you were extraordinarily embarrassed two nights ago when you failed to transfigure Minerva's hat into a dog like you had been threatening to all night. Albeit that was probably for the best. Merlin only knows what Minerva would have tried to do then." Dumbledore smiled kindly at this while Severus only glared him, wishing he could shut the older man up. Need he really say all of this in front of the brat? "Then Mimsy, the house elf, came to me in tears just this morning when a simple summoning spell resulted in the destruction of most of your personal potion collection."

"People make mistakes," Severus retorted.

"Even you," Dumbledore said with a nod. "But these are not mistakes. Just as Remus and Sirius's failure to produce Patronuses were no flukes. There's a reason you are having trouble with your magic. A very good reason you are suffering worse problems than Remus and Sirius."

"Why are we bringing the mutts into the conversation?" Severus growled.

"Don't call them that, you greasy git!" Harry snapped.

"Now, Harry," Dumbledore said sternly.

"Look, the little pup can do more than just chase his tail," Severus snarled. "He can bark, too."

"Severus, really," Dumbledore said.

"You are a complete arse!" Harry snapped. "No wonder they call you Snivellus and tormented you in school! I'm sure you must have done something to deserve it."

"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore roared, followed by cheers from the headmasters' portraits and only a few muttered complaints. "It is no wonder the bond is acting up."

"You're blaming the bond for this, of course," Severus muttered.

"It is the only explanation. Your relationship isn't strong, therefore you won't be," Dumbledore explained. "Remus and Sirius, while they have their issues, don't antagonize one another the way you two do. They don't hate each other foolishly as you do. If you want to stabilize your magic and, in essence, survive, you'll have to do something about your childish behavior!"

"You're telling me I have to play nice with the Potter brat for my magic to resume its normal pattern?" Severus asked doubtfully.

"Yes, that's what I am saying," Dumbledore explained. "Really, it isn't so difficult. You and Harry have more in common than you'd like to admit."

"No offense, sir, but I'm sure we're doomed," Harry said. "There's no way he can keep his trap shut for five minutes."

"You're one to talk you imbecilic child!" Severus snarled.

"Oooh, he uses big words," Harry muttered sarcastically.

"If you think that is a big word…" Severus began.

"Stop it before you force me to take drastic measures!" Dumbledore snapped. "Really, I've e never seen such remarkably hostile behavior from anyone. I'm almost positive that you are both friendlier to Lord Voldemort than to each other and for what reason? This is not a joke and there's no choice. You _will_ attempt to become, at the very least, civil with one another! I'll resort to forcing you to spend every moment of your spare time together until you can learn to exist peacefully."

"You wouldn't," Severus growled.

"Don't tempt him!" Harry snapped.

"I would, Severus. It's not as if you can be a proper teacher, even with Potions, if you can't control your magic," Dumbledore said. "If this morning is any indication, it'll only worsen. You _must_ do something about this."

"Not even a wizard as powerful as yourself, Albus, can force me to like the boy," Severus said sternly.

"I don't care if you like him, Severus, so long as you can tolerate one another," Dumbledore said wearily. It wasn't often he looked so old and tired. The appearance of such a look affected both of them. Despite their animosity, they relaxed, somewhat, the fury ebbing away in their surprise and concern over the headmaster. "For now, all I expect is civility. Neither of you has a choice in the matter and, for that, I apologize. But your parents were right, Harry. This bond is a big responsibility. It requires so much more than I ever imagined. If either of you expects to survive this war…to survive the next few weeks, you must do _something_ to mend this. That means mending your relationship."

There was a very long moment of silence in which Harry and Severus mulled it all over quietly while Dumbledore waited and watched patiently.

"Yes, headmaster," Severus finally said quietly.

"Yes, sir," Harry muttered just seconds later.

Dumbledore nodded to them, though he didn't look very reassured. Neither could really blame him. "We'll meet again a week from today to discuss this further."

* * *

><p>"I'm really worried about Harry," Hermione whispered to Ron as they walked to the table they would both be working at in Potions.<p>

For two weeks, the seventh year Potions students would be tutoring a first year student. However well the tutee did on their upcoming exam would count as half of the tutor's grade, while the other half came from observations Snape made about their teaching skills. It was a horrible task, especially since Snape was seemingly out to punish them all. Knowing of the issues between Ron and Hermione, he assigned them to the same table to deal with their first years. He had also placed Draco and Harry together, though that arrangement wasn't quite as awful as Snape had probably hoped. While Draco and Harry weren't close, they had come to some unspoken agreement to stop hating each other so much.

Ron, on the other hand, had not spoken to his best friend of seven years in a week. Even now, he only glanced at her with some reluctance, seeming unsure if he should drop his angry face or not. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes, sitting beside Chrysanthemum Rose, her first year, then looked at Ron in exasperation as he sat beside the other first year, Joanie Martin. "Honestly, Ronald."

"What's wrong with him?" Ron finally said, glancing up to the table Draco and Harry normally sat at.

"Don't you pay attention?"

"Not all of us stalk our 'friends', Hermione," Ron snapped.

"Well, _some_ of us care enough about our friends to notice things," Hermione retorted coldly. "Dumbledore asked to see Harry during breakfast with Professor Snape."

"Poor Harry," Ron said, recalling the event with a sympathetic frown.

"They're not back yet," Hermione pointed out, motioning to the front of the room. Professor Vector, the Arithmancy teacher, had stepped in as she had mastery in Potions and a free hour to look over the NEWT class. Harry was also missing from his table and Draco was left having to explain things to _two_ little eleven year olds. The blond didn't look happy. "I thought he would have been out by now."

"You don't think Snape's doing anything weird to him, do you?" Ron asked with wide eyes. His issues with Hermione seemed to be forgotten in favor of imagining horrible things happening to his best friend at the hands of the greasy potions master.

Hermione cringed. She knew too well the sort of things Snape and Harry had been up to in the past month or so. It was not something she particularly cared to think about. Harry had the band, though, so he would be fine. Speaking of bands …Hermione glanced down at her own bare wrist. She had forgotten it. Again! Not that it mattered, she thought bitterly. The bond seemed appeased by the current status of her relationship with Draco and he, honestly, seemed to prefer snogging Ginny to shagging her anyway.

"No weirder than what Malfoy's been doing to your sister," Hermione found herself muttering. They had only snogged that once but Ginny made a point of being very touchy with Draco whenever Ron was looking. She and Draco would always have a laugh about it.

"Disgusting, isn't it?" Ron said with a grimace. "Wait…What all has he been doing?"

"Nothing you haven't seen," Hermione sighed. "At least I don't think."

"I'm going to _kill_ that git!" Ron muttered, cracking his knuckles under the table.

"Umm…Hermione?" squeaked Chrysanthemum. "Shh…Shouldn't we be working on the…on the Shrinking Solution?"

"Shhh! Don't remind them!" hissed Joanie.

"Oh, that's right!" gasped Hermione. "I'm so sorry! Do you have all of your ingredients out?"

"Err…You'll study before the test, right?" Ron asked Joanie hopefully.

"Uhhh…Sure!" Joanie said.

"Okay, cool. We'll just pretend to work then," Ron said.

"Brilliant!" Joanie said happily, sticking her tongue out at Chrysanthemum. The smaller girl frowned then tried to focus on what Hermione was trying to teach her. Joanie went to passing notes with Seamus's tutee, a Slytherin named Progar Mendell. Also at their table were young Napoleon Belamy and his missing tutor, Neville. Though not many people seemed to notice his absence until he slid into class a few minutes later, relief immediately flooding his face when he realized Snape wasn't behind the desk.

"You're late, Longbottom," Vector said.

"Sorry, professor," Neville said breathlessly, sitting down beside Napoleon who glared at him.

"Five points from Gryffindor," Vector said, then went back to helping Daphne and Blaise tutor their first years. It was certainly better than Snape would have given.

Ron tore his eyes away from Hermione while she glanced up from helping Chrysanthemum cut her roots properly. "Neville! Where were you?" Hermione whispered loudly.

"Sorry, I was replying to…to Cedric," Neville replied.

"Cedric? Is that your boyfriend?" Napoleon asked snidely.

Neville blushed then, wordlessly, moved his chair over to the table Ron and Hermione were at. "Here, look what he sent me," Neville said, pulling a piece of parchment out of his robes.

"He isn't your boyfriend, is he?" Ron asked.

"Ronald, don't be rude!" Hermione hissed.

"How is that rude?" Ron asked, surprised. "It was just a question!"

Neville said nothing but his face was pinker. Hermione took the parchment then held it to where she and Ron could read it together.

_Dear Neville,_

_How are things? Training is going well over here. In a few weeks, I get to decide where I want to finish up with an internship. Healer Davek wants me to stay on with him but I've also gotten dozens of other offers, not only from departments in St. Mungo's but out of the country as well! I guess I scored better on my exams than I thought. I don't want to be too far away though. We do have a bond to develop, don't we?_

_I do have somewhat good news. Penelope Clearwater and I helped your parents perform the soul mate test. Is there even a proper name for that yet? They didn't get each other, which is good news. It will take us some time to find and convince their soul mates to go through with the bond so I don't want you to get your hopes up yet. But this is promising news. I've given Professor Dumbledore the results so he'll be helping us out a lot. Your parents have grown on me, I have to tell you, and I'm determined to stick around and be part of this. I'll let you know as soon as I learn anything new._

_If you need any help in any of your subjects, let me know. We can always set up a tutoring schedule along with our bond meetings. I did pretty well on my NEWTS so I can probably help you a little bit._

_Sincerely,_

_Cedric _

"Oh, well that's great, Neville! They can maybe fix your parents!" Ron said enthusiastically.

"Ronald!" Hermione hissed.

"What? This is good, Hermione!" Ron snapped.

"I _know_ that! But do you really have to be so…so…insensitive about everything?" Hermione demanded. "You really should watch the way you word things!"

"Whatever, Hermione," Ron muttered, looking away.

Hermione shook her head then smiled sheepishly at Neville. The wizard took the letter and folded it neatly before putting it back into his robes. "Do you like him?" Hermione mouthed to him once she was sure no one was watching them.

Neville's face, which had been returning to its normal color, flushed again. His hazel eyes were wide in alarm and he quickly reached up to run his fingers through his blond hair. Hermione offered him a small smile of reassurance and, after a moment, Neville finally nodded, though he was unable to meet her eyes. Hermione kept herself from giggling. It was sort of cute! Neville had a crush on Cedric. She half hoped Cedric would return Neville's feelings. She felt they would be good together, and not just because they were soul mates. They were two of the nicest boys she had ever met. They were calm, intelligent, strong, and handsome. They would be quite a good pair, if she did say so herself. Neville seemed insecure, though, so Hermione reached out to give his hand a small squeeze.

At the same moment, Ron turned back around to them, blue eyes landing accusingly on their joined hands.

"Do you have to go after every bloke you lay eyes on?" Ron hissed. Hermione and Neville jumped in surprise as Ron threw his chair back, grabbed his bag, and stormed out of the room. Everyone turned to stare at Ron's dramatic departure. Everyone, that is, except for Draco Malfoy, whose gray eyes trailed where Hermione was still touching Neville's hand, glowering dangerously at them. It was a look that, with only a bit more intensity, might have very well set their hands on fire.

* * *

><p>Harry was able to return to classes in time for Defense Against the Dark Arts, though he had been given detention for skipping class, even though Snape hadn't been in said class, which would give them time to 'work on things' that night. When he relayed all of this to Hermione in between classes, she was of little use.<p>

"Professor Dumbledore's right, Harry!" Hermione assured him. "I get along with Draco just fine now, don't I?"

"Malfoy isn't as much of an arse as Snape is!" Harry hissed.

Ron had been a bit more sympathetic when they sat together at lunch. Hermione had been down the table with Ginny but Harry was used to dealing with their issues by now. "Wow, mate. Dumbledore must not like you anymore? You couldn't pay me enough to put up with that git!"

"I'd gladly pay to not have to put up with him," Harry muttered.

It was a long day for Harry, who spent its entirety dreading what would take place that night. It would take a lot of preparation to play nice with Snape but, as long as the man kept himself under control, Harry was sure he'd be fine. Before leaving the tower, he made sure he had his band in place. Besides a barked out "Enter!" when Harry knocked, not much was said for a long time. They alternated between staring at each other to Harry staring at the walls while Snape graded papers.

Harry wasn't sure this was what Dumbledore had wanted from them but it was a good start. They hadn't snapped at each other once and had kept the dirty looks down to a minimum. While this was, undoubtedly, better than most of their meetings, it was getting old quite fast. Despite their silence, the hatred was still there, thus the arousal also remained. Harry had to grip the arms of his chair tightly to remain seated and it took more force than he necessarily liked to keep his eyes off of his teacher. Out of desperation, he shifted in his chair and checked his pocket watch for the eighth time in a span of fifteen minutes. Surely, Snape would agree to let him go soon? Harry wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

"Ahem. Professor?" Harry said.

"Hmm?" Snape replied, not lifting his eyes from the homework he was marking.

"Can I go now?" Harry asked hopefully.

"No," Snape said, voice tight. Harry figured he must have been having trouble swallowing back all of the insults he was tempted to hurl Harry's direction.

"Well…sir…we're not really doing anything," Harry pointed out.

"Of course we…Never mind," Snape said, clearing his throat. Harry could hear the sarcastic comment in his head even though Snape had stopped himself. Of course, he meant to be a git and point out that they were doing something, that Snape had been busy grading papers before Harry so rudely interrupted and Harry had been sitting there staring around stupidly like the idiot he was. Harry almost wished Snape _would_ have said it. It was somehow worse for his own brain to provide the insult. "We need to fix the problems the bond has created."

"No offense, sir, but I don't like you and I don't think I ever will," Harry said bluntly.

"I feel the same way," Snape replied grudgingly, as though it was painful to agree with anything Harry said. Of all of the things to agree on, though, this made the most sense. "I may have a solution to this."

"Really?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yes," Snape said. "I doubt you will appreciate it. However, it is our only real option."

"Let's hear it," Harry said. Whatever Snape said, it had to be better than the impossible feat of actually getting along.

"It's quite simple, really. We only need to continue a…physical…relationship," Snape said with a smirk.

"What?" Harry exclaimed incredulously.

"This is about more than getting into your pants, Potter," Snape said, rolling his eyes.

"Don't even pretend it's not affecting you too," Harry said irritably.

"I'm fine," Snape said.

"Liar," Harry muttered.

"Though I'm delighted to hear that you are suffering from the bond's sexual appetite," Snape added. "No, this isn't about lust, Potter. It's about the facts. Because of our shared animosity, the bond tries to force us to copulate. We never experienced issues with our magic before we stopped having intercourse. While not the point the bond is attempting to make or the headmaster's wishes, it does seem that the bond needs _something_ from us. Therefore, it is a reasonable conclusion that to continue our physical relations would resolve our predicament. Surely, a few rounds of shagging a week is preferable to attempting to engage in conversation with one another. We both know where that will lead."

"The destruction of the dungeons likely," Harry said with a slow nod.

"Indeed," Snape agreed.

"I still don't want to have sex with you," Harry said uneasily, though the topic of sex had his cock jumping for joy. Almost as though he could sense the twitching of the younger man's prick, Snape's dark eyes traveled down Harry's body to his lap. Between the way he was sitting and the thick robes he was wearing, Snape's eyes wouldn't really see anything. He wouldn't really know how increasingly interested a particular body part was becoming. There was a disturbingly knowing glint in those black eyes though. Despite himself, Harry felt his face heat him and he cleared his throat as he looked away from Snape.

"Of course not," Snape drawled. "Nor I you."

"Right," Harry said, coughing. "Erm."

Snape watched him expectantly while Harry thought it all through. Playing nice with Snape would be better than having sex with him again! Even though sex had been good. Or at least he thought it was good. He hardly remembered most of the details as it were all such a rush. The only thing he really remembered was the extreme pain he was in afterwards. Even if it was hard to get along with Snape and, as stubborn as he was, determined to hate him forever, it was better than doing that again. Wasn't it?

"Are…are you sure there's no other way?" Harry asked, squirming in his seat.

"Positive," Snape replied.

"We…There's no hope of…I dunno…Just doing like Dumbledore wants?" Harry asked uneasily.

"None," Snape said.

"Oh," Harry said not sure if he felt more dread or pleasure by this news. "I…Oh…Alright, I guess."

"You guess?" Snape repeated, eyebrow quirked.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Harry grumbled.

Snape just grinned. Harry figured whatever it was the man wanted him to say was not good. Swallowing hard, he stood up and fingered the band around his wrist. Did he really want to do this? Once the bracelet came off, he wouldn't be able to stop himself. It was a tempting thought. Very tempting. The pure need he had been feeling since school started was not relieved by his hand, no matter how many nights he wanked. It didn't seem to be enough anymore, even when it was thoughts of Snape filling his mind.

"Fuck it," Harry muttered and pulled the band off, tossing it across the room. He imagined that the moment he lost the band he would throw himself across the room into Snape's lap. His heart raced but nothing happened. He blinked in surprise and stared at Snape who was perfectly calm behind his desk. "Erm…What happened?"

"You removed the band, obviously," Snape drawled.

"Yes, but…Well…why isn't…You know?" he said, motioning between them.

If Snape was confused, he wasn't showing it. Harry couldn't be bothered by his lack of a reaction though. What did this mean? Was it a good thing they weren't jumping each other yet? Did they mean they no longer had to have sex? He still wanted to. _Merlin_ how he wanted to. But the feeling wasn't quite so desperate this time around. That thought scared him.

"Perhaps, the fact that we are in agreement on this matter has made the bond calm down enough to let us do this at our own pace," Snape suggested.

"Oh," Harry said dully. He would have preferred having the bond drive him so mad with lust he couldn't think straight. It was a great feeling and a lot less terrifying than this. "Well…Ahem. What do we do now?"

"We have sex, Mr. Potter. That was the agreement, wasn't it?"

"It's not like I know how to do this!" Harry snapped in frustration.

"How do you not know? It's not as though you're a virgin anymore."

"As if I need reminding."

"You do, apparently," Snape said dryly.

Harry gritted his teeth, shook his head, and began pulling off his outer robe with shaky hands. Snape just sat there and watched him, which initially annoyed Harry until he tossed his robe to the floor and met those black eyes, seeing clearly that burning desire that made his stomach clench in anticipation. It was just sex, he reminded himself as his own arousal steadily overcame his fear over the whole act. He could do this. Sex was fun. Sex didn't mean anything but fun. Plus, they needed to have sex! Harry couldn't very well afford for his magic to get any worse. He had Horcruxes to find then destroy and a dark lord to kill.

Licking his lips, he walked slowly over to Snape. The Potions Master pushed back his chair slightly, giving just enough room for him. All of the confidence he gained seemed to diminish slightly, as though it preferred coming and going rather than sticking around until this was through. This was different from fighting Death Eaters or Voldemort. This was a more complicated matter than saving the world. Fighting was easy. He lived or died and he knew that he had to do all he could to save everyone he could. This was confusing. Awkward. Daunting. To stabilize his magic he had to choose between befriending the git or bedding him. Sex wasn't supposed to be a big deal to guys, was it? Any bloke would be thrilled by a chance to be laid. But he wasn't even gay! Or, at least, wasn't really sure about his sexuality. And this was a teacher.

Thinking too much wasn't doing him any good. Before he could talk himself back out of it, he took a deep breath and quickly set about straddling Snape's lap. The man just smirked in amusement, causing Harry to glare at him. He was a right bastard. So, Harry kissed him hard, knowing that it was the only thing he could really do at this point. If he even tried getting mad at Snape, the bond would probably just act up again.

Snape returned the kiss easily, sliding his hands up to Harry's face, gripping him firmly while he went about showing Harry how it was done. He softened the touch of their lips, slowed down his movements, and slid his tongue along Harry's lips. The younger wizard gasped in surprise, his lips tingling where the tongue had been. This seemed kind of gross when he was actually capable of thought during the action, but it wasn't so bad. A bit strange having his teacher's tongue in his mouth and the taste was odd, though not all that unpleasant. Harry closed his eyes, forcing his body to relax when he realized how tightly he had been gripping Snape's shoulders. Slowly, Snape moved his hands from Harry's face down his back until they were groping his backside. Harry groaned quietly at the pleasant feeling, thrusting his hips forward against Snape.

"There. That's not so hard, is it?" Snape muttered against his mouth teasingly.

"Shut up, y'git," Harry mumbled in response, kissing him again. This whole kissing thing was actually enjoyable now that he was into it and felt a bit less uncomfortable. As long as he didn't think about it, it was easy.

That didn't last very long before Snape moved his mouth down Harry's jaw. It felt nice but Harry preferred lips against his own. All thought flew out of the window as Snape began sucking, gently, on the side of his neck, nipping gently at the skin just enough to send a jolt straight through his cock but not enough to really hurt. He continued rubbing his hips against Snape, needing the friction, needing release, and Snape grabbed his arse in his hands then maneuvered him a bit so that he was now rubbing against Snape's very hard bulge. That Snape was turned on was scarily arousing and this was much better than just rubbing against Snape's stomach. "Fuck," he hissed under his breath, slowly losing what remained of his mind to these beautiful sensations.

It didn't last long enough.

He was starting to really get into it when Snape shoved him out of his lap. Harry yelped in surprise, reaching behind him to grasp the edges of the desk to steady himself, hopping a bit on one foot as the other was stuck between Snape and the arm of the chair. Snape moved quickly, though and before Harry could even right himself then demand to know what was going on, Snape grabbed his hips, forcing him to turn around then bend him over his desk.

"Bloody hell, you could at least say something," Harry muttered as Snape reached around him, undoing his trousers and yanking them down along with his underwear.

"I only assumed you wanted this done with quickly," Snape replied mockingly. He leaned forward, pressing his lips against Harry's ear, breathing hotly into it while a slick finger probed at his entrance. "We aren't lovers, Potter. I'll do what is necessary to put my cock in, come in, and be done with you. That's all," he whispered while a finger slid deeply inside of him. That voice speaking directly into his ear was almost enough for him to come on the spot, which would have been highly embarrassing. How was it he never noticed just how sexy Snape's voice was before?

Snape feasted on his ear and neck, turning him into a puddle with that talented tongue while he worked a second and third finger inside. It was still uncomfortable, and slightly painful, but Snape was taking his time with him, being gentle in a way that the bond hadn't allowed for the other times.

"Are you ready?" Snape grunted after a while, voice thick in his lust. Harry shivered in response to another swipe of that sinful tongue at the nape of his neck.

"Umm…I…Ah…think so," he said, struggling to pull more than one word together. He hoped he made sense.

"Good," Snape muttered, shifting around behind him. The warmth on his back disappeared as Snape stood up straight. There was a painful pounding in his head that throbbed in his ears when he heard the zipper of pants then the rustling of clothes. Snape then grasped his hips and pulling apart his cheeks to expose his well prepared opening. His heart was hammering in his chest as he felt those dark eyes bore into him and his face flushed in embarrassment under the scrutiny. Seconds later, he felt the slicked head of Snape's cock press against him, causing him to clench up reflexively. "Relax," Snape ordered, though his voice wasn't as stern as it normally was. One finger reached out to rub in gentle circles around his hole while Harry took in deep breaths to force his body to calm down somewhat. At least he wasn't forcing his way in like all those other times. The bond had driven Snape to it, he realized, because his body had welcomed the harsh intrusion, despite the immense pain that ripped through it. As much of an arse as Snape was, he wasn't _completely_ evil and Harry was forced to realize that he was being easy with him.

Once he had relaxed enough, Snape's cock was back, pressing slowly into him. His breath hitched at the slight burn and, at Snape's urging, he pressed back against him. Hot tears stung his eyes in response to the pain. Even when the bond had forced them to be quicker and rougher, it hadn't hurt so much. He had been too delirious with need to pay it much mind. Right now it was all he could feel, all he could think about.

This was, however, more soothing and kind than Harry had ever known from Snape. The man rubbed his hips gently, muttered instructions, whispered inquiries about how he was feeling, and moving slowly into him. It seemed to take forever before he was fully buried inside of him. Harry's knuckles were white, his hands aching with the force of the grip he had on the desk. He was tempted to snap at Snape for the groan of pleasure he let out. He didn't have any right to feel that good while Harry felt like this. That was silly, though. Harry should have expected this.

Snape didn't move right away, so Harry had time to relax slowly, loosening his grip on the desk and shifting on his feet a bit. He felt so full. It was strange. Mostly, it just burned and throbbed but the sensation itself was…it was just odd. He didn't see how anyone enjoyed this, especially as he couldn't remember how he had.

"Potter?" Snape said, voice strained, after a few minutes.

"Just…Give me a minute," he said quietly. Harry took a deep breath, then gently bumped his hips back and wiggled slightly. The burn was still there but it had faded considerably. The feeling was still awkward, especially when he thought too much about the fact that Snape had his cock in his arse. Moving around didn't hurt too much. In response, Snape grasped his hips tightly and groaned. Harry had to wonder how hard it was to just hold still when you were so painfully aroused. Not that he would know how it felt to be inside of anyone, as he had only ever taken it. "I…You can go ahead…just…be careful."

Snape didn't say anything only, slowly, pulled his cock out until just the head was inside of him then, slowly, gliding back in. This wasn't so bad. The stretch of it was still slightly painful but not nearly as bad as the first entry had been. Instinctively, he wanted to pull away from the feeling but forced himself to try to meet Snape's movements. Snape assured him that it would help make things easier. Per Harry's request, Snape continued a maddeningly slow pace that relieved one part of Harry and annoyed another. He wanted to get on with it and was sure Snape did too but was worried about what would happen if any more than this went on.

After several minutes of laying there, just feeling Snape's cock sliding in and out of him, he was starting to understand the some of the pleasantness of it. Listening to Snape's panting and grunting, he experimentally shifted his hips back to urge him on a bit. Snape groaned loudly, tightening his grip on hiss hips before thrusting into him a bit more forcefully. Harry gasped. It felt different, like it was on the verge of pain without actually hurting. Steadily, Snape got into a good rhythm, picking up the pace. It worried him a bit at first but he relaxed quickly when he realized that it wasn't so bad.

Then it happened. Snape hit that magical thing inside of him that made him see stars. "Oh God!" Harry moaned, now pressing back eagerly onto Snape's prick. His sudden interest seemed to make Snape a bit enthusiastic as his thrusting grew quicker and harder. Harry spread his legs as wide as they would go in this position with his trousers still wrapped around his ankles. "Oh please…please, please, please, please," Harry begged. "Oh…Oh fuck…Fuck yes!"

He was finally getting into it. Conscious thought left his mind and all that existed was this pleasure that was steadily growing every time Snape bumped into that special place inside of him. His cock was alive again, begging to be touched though Harry didn't dare let go of his grip on the desk. Sadly, it didn't last very long. As he was steadily losing himself in this haze of pleasure, Snape gave a loud grunt before coming inside of him. Harry made a pitiful sound of unhappiness, bumping his hips back eagerly as Snape pulled out of him. "No…Please…I…I…"

For a second, Harry thought Snape was just going to walk away and leave him like this. The next second, however, Snape had grabbed Harry, turned him around, and sat him up on the desk. He could barely register what was happening when Severus swooped down and swallowed his cock. "OH MY FUCKING GOD!" Harry cried out, arms and legs thrown out while his back arched up off the desk. That felt _amazing_. Way too good. Snape didn't tease, working his mouth over Harry's eager erection as if he were a starved man. The way he enthusiastically bobbed up and down on Harry's cock was shocking as well as being the single most arousing thing he had ever laid eyes on. It felt like Snape was trying to suck out his soul through his dick and, at that moment, Harry would have gladly given it so long as he kept this going.

Snape paused to take a breath for a moment, but kept working. He grasped Harry's hardness in his hand, stroking it firmly and staring at it, licking his lips as though he couldn't wait to have it back into his mouth. He looked like a man possessed because of a wild look in his black eyes. The pleasure he was giving Harry was driving the younger wizard too delirious to think properly. He shouted out as Snape took him into his mouth again, and he didn't last much longer. "Snape…Snape I…I'm going to…Oh my fucking _God_!" Harry cried out, body jerking off the desk as his orgasm crashed over him, stealing his breath away as he came, hard, down Snape's throat.

For a few minutes, he thought he had died. Death by blow job. Harry didn't care. If he was going to die, he couldn't imagine a better way of doing so.

A loud snort caught his attention. "No, Potter, you have not died," Snape said, voice breathless, though it still held its sarcastic edge.

Had he said that out loud?

"Yes, you said that out loud," Snape replied.

"Oh," Harry said. He tried to sit up, but ended up more falling off the desk and onto the ground. His whole body felt like jelly.

"Kindly stop being dramatic and remove yourself from my presence," Snape snarled. "I'm done with you. For today, of course."

"What?" Harry said, wishing his brain were catching up faster.

"We're _done_. You may leave," Snape said, motioning towards the door.

"Oh. Right," Harry said, trying not to let the disappointment seep into his voice. He wasn't even sure why he was disappointed or it felt like something cold was crawling through his chest. Harry shook his head then pulled himself to his feet using the edges of the desk. It took him a moment to realize his trousers were still down and he flushed when he did then made quick work of pulling them up. His jaw clenched when he heard Snape's amused chuckle behind him. "Umm…Guess I'll be going then."

"I should hope so," Snape replied, rolling his eyes. "I expect we'll need to meet again in a few days."

"Right," Harry said, glaring at the man. He had many awful names he wanted to call the man, a lot of insults, but he bit them back as he grabbed his robe from the floor. He wasn't sure why he was so irritated. It was just sex.

Just sex. He felt so…used. Dirty. That thought made him sick to his stomach. Maybe sex didn't mean anything to some people but it meant enough to him for him to dislike the idea of frequently having sex with someone who hated him. He didn't feel happy. He didn't feel proud. He felt…something. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

When Harry pushed that from his mind, what took its place was what had happened with Snape the last few minutes. All the way to Gryffindor Tower, he thought about it. The bond must have taken effect. That was all Harry could guess. Maybe Snape had intended to just leave him high and dry but the bond had forced him to finish off. Harry felt some dark sense of satisfaction there.

At least this wasn't a daily thing. He had at least a few days to make a final decision as to what he would do about this but wasn't too sure he could handle feeling like this all of the time.

* * *

><p>Remus packed his overnight bag, said goodnight to his landlady, and walked out of the building. It was the full moon tonight and the sun would be setting before long. There was a forest nearby with a small, rundown shack where he could spend the night. He had taken his Wolfsbane Potion made by a local wizard. It wasn't as good as the stuff Severus had made but it worked well enough for his purposes. It was better than nothing.<p>

After a ten minute walk, he entered the shack and was surprised to find that someone was already there. There was a fire in the fireplace and he could smell something delicious from the kitchen. He walked over to the kitchen area, surprised to see Sirius Black sitting there eating a turkey sandwich with a side of beans and rice as well as a small cake for dessert. Sirius ate his sandwich and didn't look at him, though he had a feeling his friend was aware of his presence.

"Er…Hi," Remus said awkwardly. They hadn't spoken in almost a month. It had been weeks since Sirius started work at Hogwarts as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and, even before that, any contact had been minimal then only out of necessity.

Sirius grunted in response.

"So…Uh…What are you…doing here?" Remus asked uncertainly, setting down his bag on the couch.

Sirius didn't respond at first. He took a few more bites of his sandwich and chewed slowly. Remus hadn't been expecting anyone to show up, and that it was Sirius of all people to be here. He felt uncomfortable because of how strange things had been lately. This man he had known almost all of his life, who had been closer to him than anything, that their relationship was now so strained was tough for Remus. Honestly, no matter how mad he was with Sirius, he thought about him quite a bit, missed him a lot. Seeing him here made his heart swell up with hope and happiness of such strength that he had never experienced at just at the sight of a person. This was Sirius, though. One of his best friends. His soul mate. They were bonded now, connected. It had been too long since they had been on civil terms.

"It's the full moon tonight," Sirius said suddenly.

"I know," Remus said in surprise, a few seconds later letting out a nervous laugh. He was a werewolf. He knew the moon's schedule better than almost anyone did.

Sirius just blinked at him then took another bite of his sandwich. Remus's smile faded slowly and he shifted uncomfortably. If Sirius wasn't going to talk, he couldn't just stand here. He had to set up for the night, raising wards around the shack to keep from making a werewolf's presence too obvious for the surrounding people, making sure he had everything prepared for when he was human again, making sure he had all of the potions and everything. He went to go look through his bag, feeling a bit disappointed by Sirius's reaction and confused as to why he was here.

"I haven't missed a full moon before if I could help it," Sirius said after a few minutes. "And I'm not about to start now. No matter what's between us."

Remus froze where he had his back to Sirius and was facing the couch, his hands still buried in his bag. Sirius's words rang through his ears. He shifted slightly where he stood, feeling a strange warmth in his chest and a fluttering in his stomach. The words hit him somewhere deep. Sirius still cared. They could never truly hate each other, could they? They had been through too much. Remus swallowed hard through the tightness in his throat and blinked away the tears that burned his amber eyes as he slowly turned around to Sirius. The other man wore a very serious look, something peculiar sparkling in those gray eyes. Remus forgot to breathe for a moment as he met the man's gaze, then cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Remus said.

"For what?" Sirius asked. There was no harshness to his tone, no curiosity. Sirius took another bite of his sandwich while Remus considered the question.

He felt like he should apologize but why? Because he had gotten Tonks pregnant? What did that have to do with them? For getting upset over Sirius sleeping with Lucius? Remus was confused by his feelings, by his thoughts. Sirius just nodded his head.

"I know," he said. Remus relaxed. By the look in Sirius's eyes, Remus believed he did know, even if neither of them really understood what any of it meant. They knew, though. Maybe things could be alright between them, after all.

"Almost time, then?" Sirius asked, glancing out of the darkened window.

"Feels that way," Remus said with a frown. He never did like these nights but was used to them by now. While he dreaded the transformation, it was hard to feel anything negative about tonight. Sirius would be with him and Remus couldn't have been more thrilled by that fact. And, when the light of the full moon hit through the window, as his body twisted and bent painfully, he felt some sense of peace in knowing that Sirius was there. When he was finally the monster he dreaded becoming every month, he was greeted by a familiar black dog who wore a wide grin that matched Sirius's so perfectly. And, in that moment, when he was part animal enough to know nothing but what was true, he knew that in that moment he wanted nothing more than to kiss his best friend. Being with Sirius was essential to life. Being with him was the only true happiness he had ever known. He was so overwhelmed with need, so touched by his friend's display that it was hard to contain. For one night, Moony, at least, understood that being with Padfoot was the only thing he really needed in his life and that no relationship was so pure or as good as the one they shared.

If only their human counterparts could agree.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> First and foremost I apologize for the day. I really expected this chapter to be done _days_ ago, but life got in the way _big time_. Along with that, life has given way too many distractions and issues and thus the chapter didn't quite turn out as brilliantly as I had imagined it, and no amount of fixing really helped it. I'm not proud of it, as I had expected to be, so I can only hope everyone enjoys it more than I do lol.

In brighter news, last chapter received the 20 reviews I needed! I'm so happy! Thank you guys so much for the support and for reading and reviewing and helping a girl out! Big huge thanks to Tokugawa Blitzer, Nocturnal Rose, IceprincessIsis3, Lady DestinyHope, maokong, AstrophobicChick, ieatmyfeelings, autumngold, Anniriel, xXxElectraxXx, Sheankelor, sev's-sexy-mistress, Sydney-Jo, AlmondWithUnicornHair, In a silent night, SlytherinPrincess1993, jazmynkim, Dark's Mistress, vampy-chan17, Saintsational, and Pandesme! Maybe one day I'll move up a bit and get 30 for a chapter ;) hehehe. New goal ftw? I'll be happy just to keep up this 20 thing, tbh! Thanks so much, seeing that many reviews seriously made my day!

Also, I am aware we did not see the conclusion of last chapter's cliffhanger _ Grace's soul mate will be revealed eventually :P I forget what chapter, but it's definitely there! I just felt like being evil mwahahahahhaha.

Also don't forget to like me on FB!

Huge thanks to Dani for being my wonderful beta!

Next chapter: Cedric talks to his parents, Hermione has an accident, Tonks interrupts a Sirius and Remus moment, and Harry gets sick! Woot woot!


	22. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY ONE**

* * *

><p>"Amos! Amos, come here! Cedric's home! Come in, my darling! Come in and sit. Do you want some tea? I can make you some of your favorite cookies if you'll be around long enough!"<p>

Cedric laughed when his mother, Camilla Diggory, answered the door then followed her into the house he had grown up in. Hardly anything had changed, with the exception of there being new pictures on the wall. There were pictures of Cedric's graduation from Hogwarts, his first day as a trainee in his St. Mungo's uniform, and a few others from various family days. The frames were all arranged on the walls in chronological order with Amos and Camilla's first picture taken together to their wedding onto Cedric's birth, all down the wall and around the room, the most recent pictures on the wall right across from the one with the earliest pictures. It was amazing how many pictures Camilla loved to keep and take, as the ones on the walls were all rejects from her many photo albums and scrapbooks, pictures that didn't quite fit in with everything else she had created in her beloved keepsakes.

"Tea would be fine, Mum, thanks," Cedric replied, taking a seat on the white and blue loveseat.

Camilla smiled adoringly at him, stroked his cheek then bustled into the kitchen, calling out for her husband again. Cedric was grateful for the moment alone, rubbing his hands together, going over everything in his head once again. He was going to have to tell his parents about the soul mates and bonding as well as pleading with his father to bond with Alice Longbottom to help cure her. If it was even possible, he reminded himself. If they went into this believing it would work, expecting it to work, then it didn't, it would be so much worse. They would hope for the best though. Cedric wanted this to work badly, for Neville's sake. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to have parents that way, to have not even had his parents, essentially, for his whole life. Just being near them, before he even was aware of whom they were, was heartbreaking. He couldn't even imagine his parents being in that situation.

One step at a time though. Cedric hadn't even talked to his parents about this yet!

"Cedric, my boy! Your mother was just saying how you needed to come visit us!" Amos said genially as he walked into the room.

"Hey, Dad," Cedric said, standing up to hug his father.

"How are you? How are you?" Amos asked, sitting in the matching armchair beside the loveseat.

"I'm fine. Great, actually," Cedric replied nervously, eyes darting to the kitchen doorway.

"Don't start without me!" Camilla called. "Tea's almost ready!"

"She's missed you, you know," Amos said with a fond smile. "And so have I. You really should stop by more."

"I know. I mean to but things have been so hectic lately," Cedric explained.

"Not overworking you at St. Mungo's, are they?" Camilla asked, walking into the room with a small tray with tea, a plate of biscuits, and two bowls, one of candy and the other of fruit.

"No, Mum, they're good to me," Cedric laughed as she handed him a cup.

"Good," Camilla said.

"How are things at work?" Amos asked.

"They're good," Cedric replied. He held his breath, waiting to speak further, to explain, but the words weren't coming out.

"Is everything alright, sweetie?" Camilla asked.

"Erm…I need to talk to you about something," Cedric said, taking a sip of his tea.

Camilla and Amos exchanged a worried look. "What is it, son?" Amos asked.

He took a moment to look between his parents then took a deep breath and launched into the story. Cedric explained about the soul mates and the bonding, everything Neville had told him, about being Neville's soul mate, joining the Order of the Phoenix, about Alice and Frank Longbottom, how he and Penelope Clearwater had tested for their soul mates then finally revealing that Amos had come up as Alice's soul mate. He spoke as calmly and clearly as possible, hoping that it would lessen some of the blow that was bound to be felt upon hearing it. If he acted worried about it then they would only be more upset. Though Cedric figured they had already realized how anxious he had been since he stepped into the house.

When he finished speaking, he glanced from his father to his mother, trying to take in their reactions. Both were silent, barley moving at first. They shared the same look of shock to start with. Then Amos began to look troubled while his wife's surprise melted into a look of hurt that made Cedric's heart ache. While Amos seemed to digest this news thoughtfully, Camilla seemed to grow colder and stiffer where she sat, slowly sipping her tea, though her hand trembled so her tea sloshed around, almost coming over the sides of the teacup. Cedric waited patiently for one of them to speak. He knew it was a lot for them to take in. They had been together for almost thirty years, having dated through most of Hogwarts, got married shortly thereafter and had Cedric only a few years later. Amos and Camilla were so very much in love, so perfect for each other, and everyone knew it. They were so very along the lines of Arthur and Molly Weasley and James and Lily Potter in their suitability as a married couple was. Yet, while the other pairs had been revealed to be soul mates, his parents had not. It hadn't made much sense to Cedric either, no matter what the books said about soul mates. They were too good for each other not to be.

And yet, they weren't.

"So…You want me to…perform this…this…_Soul Bond_…with Alice Longbottom?" Amos asked quietly after several long minutes.

"That's the idea," Cedric replied.

"No," Camilla said, tone dull.

Amos sighed. "Milly, my darling…"

"No, Amos! I said no," Camilla snapped. She cleared her throat then straightened her posture. "It is a lovely idea of you, Cedric, to come here and try to get us to help the poor boy's parents. It simply isn't our responsibility. They are _insane_, Cedric, and healers long ago declared them…oh what's the word? They said there's nothing to be done that can help! I will not let my husband go around thinking he's…he's _meant_ for someone else, because he's not! This whole thing is rubbish, my darling. Because your father and I were made for each other. And you? Your soul mate is not a…a boy, dear! You will find a nice witch one day to settle down and have children. Alright?"

Cedric had expected her arguments about his father but to hear what she had to say about his bonding with Neville hurt. He flinched and looked down to the floor, bothered by her words. Camilla had a rather traditional view of things. Her family had been very big on things like blood purity and homosexuality was viewed as being wrong. As Camilla had learned to deal with her prejudices under the careful, kind guidance of Amos, Cedric had only assumed she had gotten past her judgmental attitude about homosexuals. However, they had never quite discussed such things in their household. Cedric himself had never been bothered by the idea of a man loving a man or a woman loving a woman. That his own mother would deny his feelings…ignore them…

Not that he had confessed to having any feelings for Neville. It was still something Cedric hadn't quite figured out. Though he supposed now he had his answer.

When neither Cedric nor Amos said anything, Camilla stood up and grabbed her tray. "It was lovely seeing you, Cedric, dear, but I'm feeling unwell. Come see me before you leave, my darling," she said, leaning down to kiss his cheek. Cedric forced himself to smile and watched her walk away.

"Dad…?" Cedric began.

"I'm sorry, son. I would love to help but I don't want to upset your mother over this," Amos said regretfully. "I do hope they find some other way."

That hadn't been what Cedric had meant to ask so he paused before he replied. He nodded in disappointment and took another sip of his tea. How was he going to break this to Neville? Hopefully, this Mary Macdonald woman would be open to bonding with Frank. At least he wouldn't be letting Neville down too much. "So…About Neville, Dad…"

"You don't have to explain, my boy," Amos said kindly, reaching out to pat his son's knee. "I heard everything you said about not…not needing to be in love with your soul mate. Your mother…She'll come around eventually. We can always revisit the issue later, yeah?"

Again, it wasn't quite what he was going for. While his father had always been more open-minded than his mother, did that necessarily mean he was okay with homosexuality? And if he claimed to be, did that mean he would be okay if his son decided he was gay or bisexual? With his second attempt at the question misconstrued, Cedric just closed his mouth, smiled, nodded, and went back to his tea. Maybe another day.

* * *

><p>Daphne and Astoria Greengrass tended to be early-birds. They were usually some of the first, not only in their House to wake up, but in all of Hogwarts. They spent a great deal of time each morning getting ready for the day, spending an obscene amount of time on hair and makeup, picking out the <em>right<em> uniform clothes and the perfect accessories. With all of this time dedicated to getting ready, they still, somehow, managed to be some of the first to the Great Hall each morning. Nothing differed from routine this morning, at least at first. The sisters walked, pinkies linked, swinging their arms childishly through the dungeon corridor and upstairs. It was only heading on their usual path to the Great Hall did something strange happened.

Astoria noticed a figure at the bottom of a nearby staircase. Nudging her sister, nodding in the direction, both girls headed over, staring down in shock at the unconscious body of Hermione Granger. "Look, Daffy, it's the Mublood!" Astoria said in surprise.

"Don't call her that," Daphne hissed uncomfortably. Being soul mated to a blood traitor, as well as having one of her closest friends being soul _bonded_ to said Mudblood, Daphne felt a bit bad about using that particular word. "Hermione? Are you alright?"

"She can't hear you! She's out cold, Daffy," Astoria replied, gingerly reaching out her foot to toe Hermione's leg.

"Shite," Daphne muttered, falling to her knees and checking Hermione's pulse. "C'mon, Story, we need to get her to the infirmary."

"Oh, alright," Astoria said uncertainly, looking around. Daphne stood up, pulled out her wand, and pointed it at Hermione to levitate her. She spent a moment looking around the scene, then frowned at her sister. "Actually, someone needs to know about this. Go tell Professor Snape or the headmaster or _someone_. And hurry, please!"

"Okay, I'm going!" Astoria called out, turning and running towards the Great Hall. Most of the teachers would be up and waiting there already. Daphne, meanwhile, looked at Hermione, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Hopefully, no one would think she had done anything! They always liked to blame the person who found bodies, didn't they? Her stomach twisted a bit when she realized a small bit of dried blood where Hermione's head had been. "Bloody hell," Daphne whimpered, carefully walking around the blood while bringing Hermione up to Madam Pomfrey.

* * *

><p>When Remus didn't answer her calls or the door, Nymphadora Tonks had a pretty good idea as to where he could be. She had never seen the shack but Remus had spoken of it during one of their many conversations and it hadn't been too hard to find. The excitement she had felt about what she wanted to share with Remus had dimmed a bit in her concern. Why would he still be out in the shack? Was he in too much pain to even return to his flat? Had something terrible happened? The thought chilled her to the bone, Tonks kept going, assuring herself that whatever it wasn't couldn't be <em>too<em> bad. Remus had been living with this most of his life. He knew how to take precautions. By now he knew everything he needed to do.

She half ran when the shack came into view. Seeing that the door was open, Tonks frowned and grasped her wand within her Auror robes, stepping in the doorway and peering inside then all around. There were quiet voices just inside, though she didn't fully understand what they were saying, then wild laughter. Tonks hesitated before stepping further inside. Remus had been expecting her today after all. And what if the people here weren't necessarily good? There had been hopes of sneaking in gracefully like a good and dignified Auror but, in true Tonks fashion, she accidentally bumped into the back of the couch, scared herself into jumping back, then slipping on some sort of canister that had been lying on the floor, causing her to fall into the wall. She caught herself on her hands and froze where she stood. There was a pause with the noise in the kitchen but the men went back to talking. She, slowly, began to realize that she knew those voices. It was surprising, to say the least, as Sirius and Remus hadn't been on friendly terms in so long yet, the way they were talking now, it was as though there had never been a problem.

"C'mon, Remy. Time for your potion," Sirius was saying.

"It is not," Remus griped. "You just want to see me suffer."

"If I wanted to see you suffer I would _hide_ the potion, not offer it to you!" Sirius laughed. "C'mon, as bad as it tastes, it'll ease the pain."

"Not nearly enough," Remus sighed. "Alright, give it here. Sirius! You don't need to fee…"

"That's a good boy," Sirius said, trying his best to sound calm but Tonks could hear the laughter in his voice and the sound of Remus coughing.

"Damn it, Siri!" Remus snapped, going on to let out a noise that sounded like a half-cough, half-laugh.

"I'm just trying to take care of you!"

"You're trying to kill me!"

"I would never kill you, Remy. For I am madly in love with you!"

Tonks' eyes grew wide in alarm, heart thudding, stomach twisting in an unpleasant manner. It didn't matter that Sirius's tone was definitely teasing, because it didn't seem like a joke to her. She had begun moving towards where the men were but stopped and waited for Remus's response.

"Of course you are," Remus snorted. "Does that mean you'll off yourself after you _kill_ me?"

"Tut tut. You're so dramatic, darling."

"I'm not dramatic! You're violent."

"That was not violent and it wounds me to hear you claim so."

"I'm taking my own potion from now on."

"But what if you overdose? You know I have to take care of you, my dear, for you are far too fragile to care for yourself."

"Bloody hell, Sirius, I am not some damsel in distress. I can take a bloody potion by myself."

"Ah, that's what you think. As I recall, you also thought you could stand up on your own this morning and look what happened! Then you thought you could _shower_ on your own…"

"Shut up, Sirius," Remus muttered. Tonks could just imagine him blushing. She could also imagine a very wet, naked Remus being helped up by Sirius. Remembering that Sirius had definitely shown an interest in men when he shagged Lucius Malfoy didn't make her feel much better. Part of her wanted to back away and leave the shack before they noticed her but another part remembered what was in her pocket and why she was supposed to be meeting with Remus today.

"Fine, fine," Sirius chuckled. "Here, eat something."

"I'm not really hungry," Remus said.

"You never are," Sirius reminded him. "Now eat. You'll regret it later if you don't."

"You're not going to spank me, are you, Mum?" Remus muttered.

"Don't tempt me," Sirius purred.

"I'm going to be sick," Remus shot back.

"That's why I told you to eat! Potion on an empty stomach…" Sirius was muttering.

"I meant your perverted thoughts, you arse," Remus laughed.

"No, my perverted thoughts were about _your_ arse, thank you," Sirius replied.

Tonks cringed. She really did not want to hear that. She moved forward more until she was standing in the entranceway of the kitchen. Sirius was at the table pouring a cup of coffee for Remus who was absently stirring a bowl of porridge while gaping up at Sirius in alarm. Tonks could see the way Sirius's face and neck all burned bright red under the scrutiny, though he refused to look at Remus.

"Calm down, mate, it was just a joke!" Sirius declared, setting the coffee in front of Remus. "This is what friends do, you remember? You must be spending too much time with women."

"I am not," Remus said, clearing his throat. "Shouldn't the company of women be preferable anyway?"

"Well, I've found I don't much mind having _anyone's_ company," Sirius reminded him with a smirk.

Remus frowned and muttered coldly, "Of course."

"Being with a bloke isn't so bad, really," Sirius went on, poking at a biscuit that was sitting in front of him.

"Right," Remus muttered.

"Err…Wotcher, Remus…Sirius," Tonks said.

Both men jumped then looked up to her in surprise. "Dora!" Remus exclaimed, voice a bit panicked.

"Tonks," Sirius replied stiffly.

"Umm…We were supposed to meet today," Tonks blurted out nervously. "And I remembered you talking about this place and last night was the full moon and I just…I thought I'd come by and…If now's not a good time…"

"No, now's a great time," Sirius said. "I was just leaving."

Was she the only one to notice the look of disappointment that came across Remus's face? Tonks swallowed while she shifted uncomfortably where she stood. "You, uh, don't need to…"

"Do you have to…?" Remus asked at the same time.

"Yeah. I have stuff to do. Papers to grade and all," Sirius said, trying to sound like his usual self, but it was clear to their ears that it was strained and not quite as easy as Sirius might have hoped. "Later, Rem."

"Bye, Siri," Remus said sadly, watching pitifully as Sirius left. The sadness in those amber eyes was almost more than Tonks could bear. Surely, she wasn't becoming jealous of Sirius Black? There wasn't even anything between Remus and his old friend. They were just getting along better, which was great.

"So, I…I brought the pictures," Tonks said, patting her robes.

"What?" Remus asked.

"The…the baby pictures," Tonks said uncertainly.

"Oh. Oh right," Remus said, blinking and sitting up. "Sorry. It was a rough night."

"Sorry to hear that," Tonks said, sitting beside him and pulling the pictures out of her pocket. Her appointment had been yesterday in the late afternoon. Remus couldn't go with her because he had to get ready for the full moon that night, which Tonks fully understood. They made arrangements to meet today so that Tonks could catch him up on everything that had happened. "Healer says it's a boy," Tonks said, putting the pictures in front of Remus. "And that's his head…or I think that's his head. I can't really tell all too well, you know. Wish I could have afforded the more 'detailed' pictures 'cause you can always tell better on those!"

"Oh wow," Remus said quietly, eyes softening as he looked down at the picture. He reached out to gingerly trace the colored blobs that made up their son. Such warmth, love, and awe filled his eyes, curling up the corners of his mouth in the first genuine smile she had seen in so long. Tonks couldn't help but to grin in response. "We're having a son."

"Yeah, we are!" Tonks exclaimed proudly. "I was…I was wondering, though, if we might name him after my dad? One of his names, anyway."

Earlier in spring her parents' home had been attacked by Death Eaters. Her aunt Bellatrix had nearly killed her mother, but Rodolphus had succeeded in killing Ted Tonks. It hadn't really crossed her mind until the healer had told her that she was carrying a boy. It would have meant the world to her to name him after her father, even if it was just his middle name. They had a long time to discuss names, she figured.

"That…I think that would be great, Dora," Remus said with a nod. "Ted Remus Lupin, maybe?"

"Oh Remus! That would be wonderful! A great, strong name, I think!" Tonks said happily, placing both hands over her still flat stomach.

"I think so, too," Remus said, still staring at the picture, as though he couldn't quite believe it. "Do you think I could get a copy of this?"

"It's yours," Tonks assured him with a smile. "All yours!"

* * *

><p>During free periods, friends of Hermione Granger rushed to the infirmary to sit by her bedside. She had quite a few cracked bones, bruises, cuts, and even a broken rib. While Madam Pomfrey wasn't keen on going around telling everyone her patient's business, everyone knew that the teachers thought she had been pushed down the staircase. By who, they weren't sure. What they did know was that Hermione had likely been lying at the bottom of the stairs for a good few hours. The only people who had woken before the Greengrass sisters had all taken different routes that day, managing to miss the sight of the witch. The Gryffindor was lucky to be alive, Madam Pomfrey made sure they all knew, making her friends all feel that much worse.<p>

Draco and Ginny both had opted to take only a short lunch before rushing back to Hermione's bedside, surprised to meet each other there. For a while, they said nothing, only sitting side by side, looking at Hermione, lost in their own thoughts. Then, finally, Ginny spoke. "I feel like I should have known. Should have made sure she was around. Should have checked on her. Should have woken up earlier. Something. But that's silly, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Draco replied, turning his face towards Ginny, though his eyes never quite left Hermione. "The only person at fault is the bastard who pushed her."

"Right," Ginny said, frowning as she looked at Hermione again. "I still feel like it's my fault."

The pair lapsed back into silence. Ten minutes later, Madam Pomfrey bustled over to feed Hermione some more potions, muttering to herself as she checked on Hermione's wounds then left once again with dark looks to Draco and Ginny. It was as if she thought they were disturbing her patient but Hermione was still unconscious and would probably stay that way for a while according to the medi-witch.

Lunch went by quickly with Harry, Luna, Grace, Blaise, Daphne, Astoria, Neville, and a few others stopping by to check on her before heading to their next classes. Ginny had the period off while Draco opted to skip his Defense class. Harry had nodded solemnly when Draco announced this and offered to talk to Sirius about letting him off without a punishment. He, himself, looked tempted to stay with them but, in the end, let himself be pulled away by Blaise and Daphne. The Slytherins and Gryffindors may have been on better terms since the start of the new school year but never had the animosity been at such a low. Draco and Ginny hardly noticed anything, only settling in while their classmates went back to their schoolwork.

Shortly after the visitors left, Draco stood up then went to Madam Pomfrey's office, returning with the latest copies of the _Daily Prophet_, the _Quibbler_, _Witch Weekly_, pamphlets on various health issues, and a beginners healing text book. He dumped the stack on the bedside table and unfolded the _Daily Prophet_ while Ginny eyed the other stuff, laughing for the first time that day.

"You'd have been better off getting a dictionary and reading out of _it_ than half of that," Ginny teased.

"Well, it's all she had," Draco grumbled.

Ginny giggled. "We'll have to stop by the library later and bring her something she'd like tomorrow."

"I'll have you know she _likes_ reading the news," Draco sniffed.

Ginny scoffed. "I know! I've been friends with her longer than _you_."

Draco cleared his throat then set about reading Hermione the newspaper, though he did so in such a pompous manner it was obviously just for fun and Ginny just smiled and listened in. For the next two hours, Draco tried to read to Hermione. Not long into it he began using rather comical voices while Ginny offered in humorous commentary on the subjects. The few times Madam Pomfrey came in to check on her, she would smile at them and assure them that Hermione could probably hear them, that it was good for her to have such nice friends willing to entertain her. Then she became stern at the end and reminded them not to disturb her other patients, that they shouldn't be skipping class. Draco and Ginny then looked on at Hermione guiltily, as they had been having so much fun and. despite Madam Pomfrey's original approval of the idea, it seemed so wrong to get caught up in enjoying themselves, especially at Hermione's bedside when she was injured. They managed to convince themselves to continue, though, with assurances that they were doing so for Hermione.

By the time their friends were out of class and had a free period, Draco and Ginny were perhaps having a bit too much fun. Draco had various pamphlets about sex, abstinence, pregnancy, and other related subjects clutched in one hand, leaning as far over the side of his chair as he could to get away from Ginny. The athletic redhead was practically in the Slytherin's lap, clawing at his arms as she reached for them. Both were laughing hysterically, grins spread so wide they hurt, cheeks pink in the excitement.

"It does _not_ say that!" Ginny exclaimed, nails scratching at the corner of the nearest pamphlet.

Harry and Ron stood in the entrance of the infirmary, staring at the display in shock. Neither Draco nor Ginny seemed to notice. Draco moved the pamphlets around in his hand, trying to get them farther out of Ginny's reach when they fell to the floor. "Bugger," Draco grunted, then jumped out of his chair as Ginny slid out of his lap to the floor. "Don't touch my sex guide, Ginevra!"

"I'll do whatever I please, _Draconius_!"

Draco paused and just stared at her for a moment. "That's not my name."

Ginny grinned wickedly then went back to grabbing at the parchments while Draco reached over her, draping himself over her back while his hands gripped her wrists. Ginny squealed and tried to buck him off of her, but he held a firm grip on her wrists and sat back with her, crossing their arms together over her chest, breathing heavily into her ginger hair, grinning brilliantly, still chuckling, now and then, as Ginny struggled against him.

It was the strangest thing Harry and Ron had ever seen. And they had both seen the two snog.

After far too long, Ron seemed to snap out of his daze. Blue eyes narrowed dangerously at the blond, his hand going for his wand, though Harry was quick to reach out and grab it to stop him. "What the _bloody_ hell are you doing to my sister, ferret?"

Ginny and Draco stiffened then looked up in surprise. Draco blushed furiously and quickly let go of Ginny, who grabbed the pamphlets then smiled victoriously, though it seemed her good mood wasn't quite so light and happy as it had been previously. Draco managed to regain control of himself enough to glare at Ron. "I know you're not stupid, Weasley. What did it look like?"

"Don't talk like that to my brother," Ginny said half-heartedly. The Weasleys were a fierce bunch and bad-mouthing one in front of another rarely ended well. With how much of a prat Ron had been lately, though, Ginny was finding it hard to argue with Draco on his point.

"Ginny, get away from him," Ron said. "I swear, if you touch her…"

"Ronald!" Ginny snapped. "You are not my mother and you will _not_ tell me what to do!"

"Wait until _Mum_ hears about how chummy you're being with a Malfoy!" Ron roared.

"Was that a threat?" Ginny snorted. "Too bad for you Mum doesn't have near your dramatic flair!"

"Oh, here we go," Harry sighed, sinking into one of the vacated chairs.

"You're the one looking for attention by shagging the git!"

Ginny's eyes flashed dangerously. "_How dare you_!" she snarled. "I am not shagging anyone, thank you very much!"

"You could be," Draco muttered jokingly. He hadn't meant for anyone to hear him but everyone did. Harry just gave him a look that clearly stated that he questioned his intelligence while Ron and Ginny looked furious.

"Now is not the time for you to try to get into my knickers, Malfoy!" Ginny snapped.

"Yeah! You stay away from my sister you _Death Eater_!"

"_He is not a Death Eater_!"

"Yes he is! And so is his _fag_ of a father!"

"My father is _not_…!"

"He slept with Sirius!"

Harry's head shot up. "He did _what_?"

Draco snorted. "Don't be stupid!"

"He did! I heard Mrs. Potter and Lupin talk about it at _your_ bonding ceremony!"

"Are you _serious_?" Harry asked, dumbfounded.

"Completely," Ron snorted. "And you know what I think, Malfoy? I think your dad takes it up the arse. And I bet you do, too!"

Silver gray eyes flashed angrily as Draco scrambled to his feet, drawing his wand. "Do not _ever_ talk about my father or myself that way _ever_ again, _Weasel_!"

"Draco, do not point that at my brother!"

"Don't call him _Draco_, Ginny! It's _Malfoy_!"

"I'll do whatever I bloody well please to the _imbecile_ who is bad mouthing my family!"

"Don't call my brother an imbecile!"

"If I'm an imbecile, what's that make you, you great…you…you prick!"

"Yes, I do have a great prick. Thank you for noticing. Are you certain _you're_ not bent, Weasel?"

"Ron, don't call him that! And Draco don't… Both of you, just stop!"

"Stay out of this, Ginny!"

"_Stop telling me what to do, Ronald, because I swear to Merlin I will Bat-Bogey you so hard it won't stop for a week_!"

"I wouldn't have to tell you what to do if you weren't sticking up for this arsehole! He's a traitor, Ginny, and that you and Hermione believe all of the shite that pours out of his mouth is scary!" Ron snapped. "He's using you! He's going to sell you all out to You-Know-Who before you know it! And you know what I think?" He glowered severely at Draco. "I think he did it."

"Did _what_?" Ginny demanded furiously.

"He pushed Hermione!"

Draco felt as though he had been punched hard in the stomach at the accusation. Gray eyes widened, mouth dropped open slightly, and he just gaped at Ron for it. Ginny and Harry, as well, sat staring at Ron in shock. As for Ron, he stood breathing heavily, hand twitching near where his wand was hidden in his pockets. His face was red as it always was when he was angry, the look in his blue eyes murderous. He seemed to truly believe that Draco had hurt Hermione while the mere thought of doing so made Draco ill. The room swayed a bit and Draco cleared his throat, putting his arms out slightly to steady himself.

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so, Ron," he mumbled.

"What?"

"I don't think Malfoy did it," Harry said quietly.

"Not you too, Harry!" Ron snapped in exasperation.

Harry's green eyes narrowed at his friend, his jaw clenching and unclenching. "I'm not saying I'm suddenly best mates with him. I just…I think he might actually care about Hermione."

"He doesn't care about anyone but himself," Ron snapped.

"That's not true, Ronald," Ginny said coldly.

"Why the bloody hell are you defending him?"

"Why the bloody hell are you attacking him?"

"Because he's a _Malfoy_!"

"Well isn't that judgmental of you!"

"_Stop_!" Harry hissed. "I'm surprised Madam Pomfrey hasn't barged in here yet!"

"I glanced into her office before we came in here. She's talking with Snape now. Bet she's too busy cowering from the grease flying out of his hair," Ron snorted.

"Don't talk about my godfather that way," Draco hissed.

"Godfather?" Ron snorted.

"SHUT UP!" Harry roared. Everyone else fell silent, staring at him in shock. Harry himself was surprised he hadn't woken Hermione up with his bellow, even if she was comatose. He breathed heavily, stomach lurching a bit, though he swallowed back the sickness before continuing. "Hermione is…She's not well. And you lot sitting around here arguing like this…Well, it's not right. If you want to be prats, do it somewhere else, yeah? Mione doesn't deserve to wake up to this shite after what she's been through."

The three just stared at him for a moment. Then Ginny nodded, looking slightly abashed. Following her, Draco bowed his head then turned and reached over to pat Hermione's shoulder, looking at her sadly. Ron's fists clenched at this and his glare intensified but he, eventually, stepped back, loosening up a bit.

"Good," Harry said, when everyone seemed to be in agreement. "Now…"

"Out of the way!" called Madam Pomfrey's voice. She was carrying a small cauldron full of some bubbling orange goo with blue sparks shooting out of it and a disturbing green-gray fume rising. Draco and Ginny moved away from Hermione's bed so that Madam Pomfrey could sit the cauldron on the small table. She scooped some into a small cup then sat on the side of Hermione's bed, moving her around so that she could feed it to her.

The smell hit Harry's nose, upsetting his stomach horribly. He had already been feeling nauseous since he had woken up and it had come and gone since. He had even stopped by the lavatory several times between classes. This was the worst, though. It smelled of rotten eggs, mold, and dragon dung. Harry hunched over, gagging a bit, praying he could hold the vomit down.

"Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Oh Merlin," Ron groaned, darting across the room to grab a bucket and rushed back with it, handing it to Harry.

"Are you alright, dear?" Madam Pomfrey asked, eyes narrowing in on him. "Oh for goodness sake, boy! Go to the…"

She was cut off by the loud, disgusting sound of Harry upchucking into the bucket. Ginny shrieked and jumped back in surprise then changed direction to move forward, kneeling beside Harry to rub his back. "Are you alright?"

"No offense, but that is repulsive, Potter," Draco said, wrinkling his nose.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Well, get in a bed with you, then."

"No…No I'm fine," Harry gasped, then felt it all coming up again, so he ducked his head back into the bucket.

"Grief, mate," Ron muttered. "Are you pregnant? He's been doing this all day."

"I really must insist…" Madam Pomfrey said.

"I'm _fine_. I just ate something wonky at breakfast," Harry replied. "Got anything to settle an upset stomach?"

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips. "I really would rather look you over."

"I'm fine, I promise," Harry laughed shakily. "Just ate something off. You have more important patients to care for than a bout of bad food."

The medi-witch clucked. "If you insist. If this keeps up I want you back in here, is that understood, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, ma'am. So, how's Hermione?" he asked quickly, wanting the attention off of him.

"She'll be fine," Madam Pomfrey promised. "Just as soon as she wakes up. Most of her injuries have healed. Only some of the internal injuries are being a bit tricky. This should fix her up just fine. I'm sure she'll wake up before too long."

"Oh, that's good," Harry said. Then, as he eyed the potion she was referring to, he leaned back over the bucket once again.

Ginny smiled a bit weakly and tugged on his arm. "Come on, wonder boy. Let's get you away from the mean ole potion."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I would like to make a point about the ultrasound picture thing Tonks had. I know she's only like not even two months into her pregnancy yet, but this is magic people ;) haha. Anyway, it was basically like an ultrasound only they used wands instead of machines and a simple spell could develop a picture that resembles an ultrasound picture a great deal. A more complicated spell (for a price) could get them a more detailed picture of the baby. I just wanted to make a little note about that, though you will definitely learn more about magical pregnancies later on in the story.

I also feel like there was another note I wanted to make…But I forgot.

So I'll just remind you all to like my FB page! Especially since was slow about sending out alert emails, my FB page can keep you up to date on everything, including when I update! ;)

Big thanks to my reviewers! I think I actually got more last chapter than ever! Whoo-hoo! So thanks so much to: AlmondWithUnicornHair, yyhs, Mari Rey, cherub68, Pandesme, Nocturnal Rose, Tokugawa Blitzer, sev's-sexy-mistress, xXxElectraxXx, Anniriel, ieatmyfeelings, autumngold, Lady DestinyHope, Sydney-Jo, vampy-chan17, Sheankelor, IceprincessIsis3, SlytherinPrincess1993, Sirius-dorkis010, lalaland, AstrophobicChick, and Deatheaters-Anonymous!

To AstrophobicChick: I dare you. :P Can't wait to see your essay, whenever you decide to do it! xD I'll make sure to give you a chapter soon to inspire it ;)

And to everyone else, I sincerely apologize if I didn't respond to your reviews. I try to reply to them as often as I can, but was being mean to me whenever I posted the last chapter and probably didn't get to most of them! I'll try to be better if the site decides to be nice to me! Love you guys! Keep up the good reviewing work cause I love you for it! Remember, 30 is my next goal ;) So if you haven't reviewed yet, I highly encourage it!

Big huge thanks to my lovely beta Dani for making this chapter so much better!

Up next on Resistance: We see how things work out with Frank's soul mate, Harry gets flirted with and not by Snape, Sirius gets a surprise visit, Blaise gets mad, and Harry has questions about Ron's comment! Stay tuned!


	23. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY TWO**

* * *

><p>While it was the fact that Amos Diggory was married that kept him from wanting to bond with his soul mate, it was the fact that <em>Frank<em> was a married man that gave Mary Macdonald doubts. The thirty nine year old woman had dealt with too many bad relationships in her life because of her fairytale notions. It wasn't as though she hadn't dated married men before but she hadn't gone into things _knowing_ they were married! Mary huffed as she walked around her shop organizing a set of dolls in a dollhouse that were charmed to move around and talk. For some reason, the little girl kept putting the baby in the toilet while the mother was throwing things at the father. No _real_ parent would want that sort of thing for their little girl so Mary pulled out her wand and set about fixing them. Seconds later, Lily Potter walked down the aisle with a frown.

"Will you at least think about it, Mary?" Lily asked pleadingly. The redhead had been the one to sit Mary down to have a long talk about soul mates, Soul Bonds, the situation with Frank and Alice, as well as everything else. Mary had been none too pleased. Her soul mate was already married to someone else! "I'm not asking you to marry, sleep with him or anything! It…"

"'_Doesn't have to be romantic_'. I heard you the first time," Mary said irritably. That didn't mean she necessarily bought it. That was just what people said so they wouldn't hurt others feelings. Mary knew what a soul mate was. A soul mate was the person who completed another human being. Their magic, and everything about themselves, fit perfectly with that person's. The Soul Bond would only strengthen that! They would be more connected than ever. Soul mates were meant to be lovers because no one else could possibly be closer to that person! Whoever claimed that nothing romantic was required to take place had obviously been married to someone else when he or she had mentioned that and had only said it as to not worry their spouse. But Mary knew better! Her soul mate was _married_ and that hurt. It was the most disappointing bit of news Mary had ever heard! To have found her soul mate and he already belonged to someone else! This was the material of tragic love stories. Mary didn't even dare to meet the man! They would fall madly in love, consummate their relationship and, in the end, his wife would find them out, demand Frank have nothing more to do with her then, out of obligation to the woman he had already promised himself to and their son, he would abandon her forever.

"But you don't believe it," Lily said dryly. "Look…Just…This could help him so much, Mary! I wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't important. You could really help this man out, Mary. And his son! Neville's been without his parents for sixteen years. He's missed sixteen years of his own life, of his son's life…You would be doing a really great thing by helping him out. If I could do it myself, I would in a heartbeat. Just…Will you at least think about it?"

Mary sighed heavily, tears filling her clear blue eyes. She sniffed, cleared her throat, and tossed her short brown hair over her shoulder. It would be a very brave thing to do, wouldn't it? Going out, putting her life into a very unknown branch of magic, all to help a poor man who had been lost for so long. Then, just as he gets better, they begin to fall in love. It would end tragically for her, of course, because of the wife. Poor Frank would be torn for so long but, eventually, the life he built with his wife would come first, from some sense of duty and responsibility that made her love him all the more.

Maybe she had been reading too many romance novels but the idea of being such a tragic heroine was inspiring, though a bit terrifying.

Maybe though, just maybe, Frank's love for her would outweigh everything else. Maybe she _would_ get to have her soul mate all to herself! For if Frank was her soul mate, surely Alice had her own. They would love each other dearly but, as they got to know their soul mates, they would realize that it just wasn't meant to be, part amicably, ease their son into the transition, and be the best of friends for the rest of their lives, so very happy for each other in their newfound bliss.

_That_ sounded much better.

"Oh, we'll see, Lily," Mary said in exasperation. "But if this ends badly I'm blaming you! You'll owe me ice cream, sad music, and all of the other cures for heartbreak and devastation."

"I always do, don't I?" Lily teased, though she found it hard to get into. She loved Mary to pieces, like a sister, but she was so dramatic sometimes! Lily had been there for her through every hard relationship and would do so if she decided to fall in love with Frank. Lily was hoping she could talk sense into Mary before anything drastic happened though. She didn't want her going into this just to be hurt in the end. "I'll let you borrow my copy of _Magical Bonds_, alright?"

"So I can read up on what some married man wrote about soul mates hundreds of years ago?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow. "No thanks."

"It might be useful," Lily reasoned.

"Okay, but I don't promise to convert to your way of thinking," Mary said, putting the finishing touches on the dolls in the dollhouse. The sister was cuddling her baby brother, the older brother was petting the dog, and mother and father were snuggling on the couch in front of the TV. Much better.

* * *

><p>"Harry? Hey, Harry, wait!"<p>

Potions had not gone well for Harry. The fumes of the potion they were brewing today had him nauseous. Being the prick that he was, Snape wouldn't just let him go to the bathroom when he asked! It took Harry actually vomiting into his cauldron, causing violent orange sparks to fly out of it and all over the room for Snape to deduct fifty points, yell at him for his carelessness, and send him away. He had been walking to the infirmary when another bout of illness hit, sending him ducking into the nearest lavatory in the dungeons. He had only just stepped out, taking a few steps towards the staircase, when a voice called out to him.

Turning around, Harry saw that it was a young girl he barely recognized. Astoria Greengrass, Daphne's fifteen year old sister and one of the girls who had found Hermione. She had been checking on Hermione with her older sister after breakfast that morning. The girl's honey blond curls bounced as she ran up to him, her vibrant blue-green eyes sparkling merrily, plump pink lips stretched into a wide grin, exposing pearly white teeth. She was a very pretty girl, more so than her homely older sister, and was not that much shorter than Harry. He couldn't help but notice the latter as she bounced into a stop in front of him, unable to stop from wishing he was a bit taller and average height for a guy his age. He should be towering over these girls, not meeting nearly eye to eye with them.

"Err, hi. Astoria, right?" Harry asked.

"Right," Astoria giggled. Her face turned bright red before she stammered on. "You…You're really g-good looking, you know."

"I…What?" Harry asked in surprise, blinking. This was very strange and random. "I am?"

"Of course," Astoria replied shyly. "I…Uh…I really like how you're wearing your uniform!"

Harry raised an eyebrow and looked down at himself. He hadn't been feeling all that great that morning so he hadn't paid much attention to his clothes. They were wrinkled, his shirt was only half tucked in, his robes were half hanging off of his shoulders, the buttons of his shirt were out of order, and the ties of his shoes were knotted and twisted, hardly looking as though they had been tied right at all. He didn't even want to know the state of his hair but he had a feeling it was worse than usual. For a moment, he wasn't sure if she was making fun of him or not, so he tugged at the sleeves of his robes and eyed her curiously. "Err…Thanks?"

"I'm being so silly, aren't I?" Astoria laughed. "You'll have to forgive me. But surely you understand how hard it is for a girl to be smooth around incredibly handsome boys."

"I…Well, I guess," Harry said, glancing up and down the corridor. Was this some kind of joke? "What are you…?"

Astoria giggled and shook her head. "You know, I heard you're really good in Defense."

"I do well," Harry replied in confusion.

"Yes, I believe it. You seem like you'd be good at a lot of things," she said with a grin.

Harry blushed, mind flickering to his last meeting with Snape in his office. He wondered what Astoria would think about that. "Thanks?"

"So…I was thinking…since you're so…_brilliant_…and powerful…and talented…That…_maybe_…you might want to tutor me?" Astoria suggested hopefully.

"T-tutor?"

"Yes!" Astoria said. "I heard all about the D.A. you did in your fifth year. Everyone says you made really good marks on your Defense OWL. I would really appreciate all of the help I could get."

"Oh…Well," Harry said awkwardly. He hadn't spoken to Astoria much before now and thought this whole thing was a bit strange. He had girls flirt with him before. Being famous could do that to you. The Slytherins, though, tended to leave him alone. While his prejudices against the House were dimming, somewhat, he still found it hard to believe that Astoria could be serious. This had to be a prank of some sort. Only, for some reason, the girl seemed sincere and Harry almost believed she might actually be interested. He wasn't too sure how to feel about _that_, either, though.

"I could always do something for you in return," Astoria purred. "Like…tutor you in Potions, maybe?"

"Yeah, I don't do so well in that class," Harry laughed nervously.

Just then, the doors of the Potions classroom opened and his classmates began walking out while the students in Snape's next class started approaching. Harry stepped back out of the way until his back hit the wall while Astoria followed until she was standing barely an inch away from him, as though stepping out of the way, as well.

"I'm very good in Potions," Astoria assured him with a smile.

Daphne Greengrass stopped in the middle of the hallway a few yards away, watching them sharply. Snape, too, was watching from the doorway of the classroom, glaring at them. Harry glanced their way then looked through the crowd for his friends. No one else seemed to notice them. Clearing his throat, he turned back to the nervously waiting Astoria. "Well…I'm in a NEWT class," Harry said, shifting his bag on his shoulder.

"Oh, I know!" Astoria said. "But I'm _really_ good. I'm sure I could look through your book, figure it out, and be able to teach it to you better than Professor Snape. He doesn't explain things very well."

"No, he doesn't," Harry replied with a smirk, glancing in the direction of his soul mate. Those black eyes flashed dangerously. Harry wondered if he had heard or not.

"So?" Astoria asked.

"So?"

Astoria giggled again. "So, is it a deal?"

"Well…How bad are you doing in Defense?"

She obviously hadn't been expecting this question. Astoria blinked in confusion then blushed. "Oh…umm…Bad. Terrible, really. Nearly failed last year and…Well, Professor Black…He doesn't teach much, so…Well, I just know you're really good and…Well…What do you say?"

"Well…I suppose it wouldn't hurt," Harry agreed uncertainly.

"Great!" Astoria exclaimed breathlessly. Then she threw her arms around Harry's neck and kissed his cheek. Harry was too surprised by this to react properly, only looking around in a panic to catch a glimpse of Snape's murderous expression before he stormed back into his classroom. "Thank you so much!"

"Errr…You're welcome. We can meet by Si…Professor Black's office tomorrow night. I'll show you a room where we can practice," Harry offered. He might have given her instructions for the Room of Requirement but, maybe, showing her the first time would be easier.

"Alright! See you then!" Astoria said then waved as she walked away. Daphne, who was still waiting in the hall, followed after her. Daphne looked concerned and kept shooting Harry dirty looks but, as a giggling Astoria whispered to her sister, she slowly relaxed. Harry shook his head as he watched after them and rubbed his stomach as it twisted up again. He turned to look towards the lavatory door, considering going back just in case, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Harry!" Grace exclaimed. "We need to talk."

"About what? Don't you have class?" Harry asked, eying Snape's classroom.

"It can wait!" Grace exclaimed, tugging on his arm to pull him farther away from the line of her classmates that were walking towards the door or stalling in the corridor. He was pulled into a corner by his anxious and annoyed sister who was tugging on her dark red hair. "I found out who my soul mate is…"

"You did _what_?"

"Found my soul mate."

"But…I…But _how_?"

"Well, I stole your cloak and snuck into Snape's office a while back…"

"_What_?"

"I really wanted to know!"

"Why does it matter? You're thirteen! You can't do anything about it!"

"Well I _could_! _You_ did it without Mum and Dad…"

"I was seventeen!"

"But still. They wouldn't _have_ to know…"

"Grace! What does it even matter?"

"I just want to do it! I want to know and _you_ got to do it!"

"I'm legal!"

"Yes, well, it doesn't matter."

"Yes it does! I'm telling Mum and Dad!"

"If you do, _I'll_ tell them you're shagging Snape!"

"How do you kn…I'm not shagging Snape! That's _disgusting_, Grace!"

"Well, you don't seem to think so, do you? If you're shagging him anyway,"

"I am not!"

"Don't lie! I overheard you talking to Hermione about it!"

"When?"

"During the holidays."

"Goddamn it, Grace."

"Yes, well. No one has to know if you can shut up."

"If I find out you've told anyone, Grace, I swear to Merlin…"

"I won't tell if you won't! I _swear_! I didn't even want to argue with you about this!"

"Then why the bloody hell did you bring it up?"

"Because I wanted to tell you to leave her alone!"

"_Leave who alone_?"

"My soul mate, you prat!"

"Don't call me a prat!"

"Astoria's my soul mate and she's hanging all over you. I don't like it!"

"You…Wait, what?"

Grace glared at him, glanced around, then stepped closer. "The parchment said that…Oh, here it is!"

She reached into her robes and produced a bit of parchment with the words '_The soul counterpart of Grace Lily Potter is Astoria Xenia Greengrass'_. Harry stared down at them then glanced in the direction that Daphne and Astoria has walked off in and then down at his little sister.

"You barely even _know_ her, Grace. You're not dating or anything," Harry replied, shaking his head and handing the parchment back. "Haven't you been boy crazy since…well, forever?"

"Yes! But Astoria's still _my_ soul mate and you can't have her! You have your own," Grace snapped. "You shouldn't be dating anyone else when you're still taking it up the arse from Snape anyway!"

"Grace!" Harry hissed. "Don't talk like that."

"Why not?" Grace asked. "It's true, isn't it?"

"Well…He could be…"

Grace burst into laughter. "Yeah right, Harry! Can you imagine Snape taking it up the arse?"

Well, _now_ he could. Harry could imagine himself shagging Snape. He did deserve a shot on top, didn't he? Something wasn't quite right about Snape bottoming, but Harry still deserved to try it. Not that he could even ask. He already knew how that conversation would play out.

"Why are you even worried about my sex life?" Harry asked, a bit disturbed that his sister was speaking so obscenely.

"I'm not! I'm just saying," Grace said.

"Well, don't," Harry said.

"Just leave her alone, okay? I'll have to talk to her eventually, I guess," Grace said thoughtfully.

"I'm not dating her!" Harry snapped. "She needs a tutor!"

"Well don't tutor her in the things Snape's teaching you," Grace teased.

"Go to class," Harry spat, shoving her lightly towards the direction of the Potions classroom.

"Oh don't be mad, Harry, I was just joking!" Grace called out, rushing after him.

"Just go away, Grace," Harry said in irritation.

Grace frowned and stepped back. "Right. Well I _am_ sorry. I was just teasing. I don't mind if you tutor Astoria."

"As if you could stop me," Harry replied coldly.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Grace teased, backing away towards her class.

"Bloody…irritating…little twerp," Harry muttered, turning away from his sister and jogging upstairs. He didn't even get halfway up before he was turning around and darting back towards the lavatory.

* * *

><p>An hour before dinner, Sirius Black was lounging in the chair behind his desk in his office. It was one of the slower days Sirius had had since starting his new job. A lot of his female students and coworkers had taken a liking to him so they found excuses to come see him in his office. He had spent most of the afternoon having the adolescent cleavage of Lavender Brown, Morag MacDougal, Megan Jones, and Padma Patil shoved in his face while they asked him ridiculously stupid questions about the lessons and their homework. Then he spent an hour discussing how he liked his new job and suffering other idle chit chat from Aurora Sinistra. His popularity was a bit surprising but he didn't mind so much, as it reminded him greatly of the good ole days when he was a student here.<p>

For the past half hour, though, he had had nothing to do but grading the homework he had assigned a few days ago but it was a mind-numbing job. Why on earth had he agreed to this job? Teaching wasn't his calling at all. It was great being around the young ones, though, especially looking over his godchildren. It wasn't as if he had much to do back home. He had never really come across a career path that really spoke to him then the missions he had been in for the Order were becoming fewer and far between. He definitely liked having a better excuse to stay away from Remus. While he might be willing to venture out to the shack once a month for the full moon, he definitely needed to spend some time away to clear his head. Something was strange between Remus and himself since the whole soul mate thing had come up. Staying away had to be for the best.

Because Sirius remembered having strange thoughts when he was a dog. Thoughts about actually _kissing_ Remus! How odd. This bond was positively screwing with his head.

Hearing his Floo flare up, Sirius glanced towards the fireplace, half expecting to see Lily or James. What he didn't expect was to see the face of Kingsley Shackelbolt. "Hello, Kings," Sirius said, setting down his quill and pushing away Hermione's essay. He hadn't even understood half of the words she had used. Teachers shouldn't have to have dictionaries open to read their students' essays. "What can I do for you?"

"It's Auror business," Kingsley replied grimly. "Have you had contact with your brother recently?"

"Regulus?" Sirius said in surprise. "You sure that's _Auror_ business?"

Kingsley raised an eyebrow. "Last I checked he was still a wanted wizard, Sirius."

"Yes. I also know that he's your soul mate," Sirius said with a smirk.

Kingsley glared at him. "How did you know about that?"

Sirius shrugged. "Tonks apparently saw your results. She told Remus. Remy told me."

"Well, then, yes, I need to speak with your brother," Kingsley said.

"Too bad. I haven't seen him since I was a teenager. Or heard from him, for that matter," Sirius replied. "He lived in my parents' house when I was in Azkaban and he had already run off by the time I was out."

"And you haven't heard from him since?"

"Not a word," Sirius said, holding up his hands.

"Do you know anyone who would?" Kingsley asked.

"Not really. Maybe some of his old Slytherin friends but I couldn't really name any."

"Of course," Kingsley muttered.

"Though…" Sirius said. "He may have tried to keep contact with Snape. But I dunno if Snape would have agreed to that."

"Of course. They used to be intimate, didn't they?" Kingsley asked.

"Intimate? You mean did they shag? Yes," Sirius replied with a snort. "I reckon Regulus fancied himself in love with the git for a while. But Snape doesn't love anyone. According to James and Lily, Regulus got his heart broken and ran off. That was shortly before the Ministry decided to go after him."

"And you think Snape will have contact with him?"

"Now, I didn't say that," Sirius replied. "I still say there's a small chance. But considering how things left off…I really dunno, but that's the only name I can give you."

"Alright then. I appreciate it," Kingsley said.

"If you don't mind my asking, what do you intend to do with my brother?" Sirius asked.

"Obviously, I'll either have to arrest him or bond with him. I'm not sure which it'll be just yet," Kingsley said with some amusement.

Sirius chuckled. "Yes, well. Good luck finding him."

"I appreciate it," Kingsley laughed. "Oh, and Sirius?"

"Yes?"

"You and Remus don't be stupid for too long, alright?" Kingsley said seriously.

Sirius blinked in surprise. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"You know what I mean. Just know that more than just you two will get hurt if you don't wrap your head around it soon enough. It's bad enough Tonks is in the situation she's in because Remus is in denial. Course she's just as dense for falling for someone like that," Kingsley replied.

"Now, now, there's nothing wrong with Remus," Sirius said with a frown.

"Only the fact that he's in love with someone else," Kingsley said. "I know I shouldn't be in your business, but I figured you probably needed to hear it. I have to go now, though. If you hear anything about your brother give me a call."

"Yes, alright," Sirius said, blinking rapidly as Kingsley's head disappeared. He slumped back into his chair, looking around his quiet office. "What the bloody hell is with people these days?" he finally muttered, shaking his head. Then he picked up his quill and went back to work.

* * *

><p>Blaise was ready to go to dinner but the moment he realized his best friend wasn't there to walk with him, he knew exactly where to find him. Irritation took over as he veered off the usual path to the Great Hall and, instead, headed towards the infirmary. Daphne and Astoria, who he had walked with, called after him but he ignored them. He was growing too furious to bother saying anything. He had a very bad feeling about this and, if he was right…Blaise really didn't know what he'd do if he was right.<p>

The time he stepped off the first staircase, he was practically running. Blaise ran straight through a group of Gryffindors and didn't stop to listen to their complaining. Then he slowed down when the door was in view, doing his best to catch his breath as he approached. He was still panting, though his pulse had slowed down, by the time he reached it, glaring inside to where Hermione was lying, still unconscious, with Draco and Ginny waiting by her bedside. Instead of the mournful, terrified looks most of her friends had when visiting her, Draco and Ginny were all smiles. They seemed more focused on each other than anything else. It had been that way for far too long.

Blaise leaned against the doorframe and watched them for a few minutes. Madam Pomfrey bustled around the room, checking on Hermione then going over to feed potions to Jack Sloper, who had broken his arm in Quidditch practice, then checking on the two other patients, third year Hufflepuffs who had given each other the Vanishing Sickness. One was missing both arms and a leg while the other was missing both ears, their nose, and all of their fingers and toes. Blaise hardly paid them any attention. He, instead, watched Draco and Ginny. They never noticed him. They didn't notice anything outside of each other while they touched, whispered and laughed.

He had never hated Draco so much in his life! Draco had Hermione. She may be a Mudblood, but she was his soul mate! They had slept together. Draco cared about her. Yet, here he was, trying to have Ginny, too. Ginny belonged to him! He, at least, cared about her. He really did, even if she was a blood traitor. He had had his eye on her since last year but all of the time spent together this year had intensified those feelings. They were meant to be together. But Draco was scared and that little git thought that he could get away with going after any girl he wanted to keep his mind off the one he really cared for. Draco was just _using_ Ginny! And she didn't even see it.

It hurt. It hurt more than the wizard cared to admit. Especially when he felt so invisible around them.

"Doesn't seem quite right that anyone should be having so much fun around _sick people_," Blaise said dryly, approaching them.

Draco and Ginny looked up in surprise. Ginny immediately grinned broadly at him. "Hi, Blaise!"

He hated the way his heart fluttered, the way his anger began to dissipate. It just took one look at Draco with his hand on Ginny's arm to bring it back.

"Something wrong?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Blaise replied coldly.

Ginny gave him an odd look. "Umm…Do you two need to talk?"

"I don't think Draco _wants_ me to talk to him," Blaise replied, voice tight.

Draco looked surprised and confused. "What's going on? Did I do something?"

"I'm not sure why something would be wrong if you hadn't done anything," Blaise said sarcastically.

"Remember the other day?" Ginny said. "We don't need to fight around Hermione."

"What happened the other day?" Blaise asked.

"Oh, Draco and my brother got into it here the day Hermione was brought in," Ginny said.

"Hey, it wasn't only us! If I recall, you were involved,\ too, missy," Draco said, leaning over to bump against her.

Ginny grinned, though the muscles in her face twitched like she was struggling not to. "Was not. I was only…Trying to referee things."

"That was Potter's job. You were furious, Weaslette."

"Was not!" Ginny said, shoving him. "I was a saint."

"You were turning into a right harpy!" Draco teased.

"Are you two done flirting yet?" Blaise spat.

"What?" Ginny said.

"We're not flirting!" Draco said quickly.

"I'm not blind. You two might be in denial but I know what I've been seeing," Blaise snapped.

Ginny opened her mouth then closed it and looked to Draco. "I…Er…I haven't been meaning to flirt. If we have been."

"We haven't," Draco said.

"You have," Blaise argued.

"Is there any trouble?" Madam Pomfrey asked, looking over at them.

"No, Madam Pomfrey! Everything's fine. Just having a friendly chat," Ginny said.

"Hmph. Don't go causing any problems or I _will_ ask you to leave," she assured them.

"We know the drill by now," Draco said, giving her a salute.

Madam Pomfrey gave him a skeptical look then went back to work.

"You and Draco can figure out whatever it is later," Ginny said.

"We'll talk later tonight, yeah?" Draco asked.

"That depends on you," Blaise told him. Lately, Draco would be out until curfew and did homework until bedtime. There was little time to spend with him these days, unless you decided to hang around Draco _and_ Ginny. They always made it hard to be around them, though. They got so caught up in each other that it left everyone else feeling like a third wheel or, in larger groups, as if they weren't even a part of things. They had their own little world. Blaise envied Draco for having that with her. He had never wanted to be Draco more than he had lately.

Draco looked confused again. Blaise snorted.

"So…Did you come all the way out here to start a fight or did you want to see Hermione?" Ginny asked, glancing uncertainly between the boys.

"I came to get Draco for dinner, actually," Blaise replied.

"Oh, well, I was just going to take it in here. With Ginny," Draco said slowly.

"Maybe I'll join you then," Blaise said determinedly.

Draco didn't look too keen on this idea but Ginny lit up. "Great. Pull up a seat, then."

Blaise smirked triumphantly as the blond practically pouted. Ginny didn't seem to notice a thing. She, honestly, seemed pleased to be spending time with the both of them. Maybe Draco didn't have nearly enough of her as he thought. There was room for hope…Still time to sneak in and get her away from the Malfoy heir.

* * *

><p>Dinner didn't go well for Harry. His stomach had been settled for the last few hours but his illness returned with a vengeance at the sight of a creamy yellow-white colored soup that resembled his vomit from earlier. The smell of the chicken was also doing something weird to him. He barely got in a few bites of bread before he was running out of the Great Hall to the nearest lavatory. The very idea of going back to dinner had him sick again. After he had thoroughly washed his hands and his mouth out he, instead, walked towards the infirmary. This stomach bug was out of control now. Madam Pomfrey must have potions for him.<p>

He saw Ginny sitting with Malfoy and Zabini around Hermione's bed then smiled and waved to her when they met eyes. She beckoned him over but he shook his head and jerked his thumb in Pomfrey's direction. Ginny mouthed "Oh," at him and nodded then returned to her conversation with the Slytherins. His smile faded as he glanced over the spot he had been near with Ron the other day when he had gotten sick and he remembered Ron's words.

"Still sick, Mr. Potter?"

Harry looked up as Pomfrey came to stand beside him. "Uhh…Yeah. Been bad."

"Well, get in a bed, I'll look you over."

Harry nodded and chose the bed farthest away from everyone else. He really did not want anyone overhearing this conversation. Ginny looked at him in concern, but he shook his head, hoping she would stay where she was.

"Umm, Mada…"

"How long as this been going on, Mr. Potter?"

"A few days," Harry replied. "I was wond…"

"Did you eat anything strange? Taken any foreign potions?" Pomfrey asked, pulling out her wand.

"No, I don't think so," Harry replied. "I just…"

"There is a stomach bug going around that might be it. I have just the…"

"Madam Pomfrey, can men get pregnant?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So just so everyone knows, there is an mpreg warning in the Introduction chapter. I will even be sure to include it when I eventually rewrite the Introduction chapter. It's definitely there, though. I apologize if you don't like it, but there you have it. I appreciate everyone who's said they'll still read it even if it is mpreg and all of the support people have given me for this story. I really appreciate it!

Also last chapter I hit 300 reviews! So happy! If you're on my FB, you probably saw that xD I was for real hyper for the longest time and was like on cloud nine seeing that. 300 reviews at 21 chapters? That's AMAZING! My new goal is 30 reviews for a chapter and 400 reviews by chapter 30. I'm not going to use any threats to get it, it's only a hope of mine and a goal I hope my lovely readers will help me achieve! I'm pretty freaking excited about it all so yeah! Also another goal I have is to get AstrophobicChick to write me an essay for a review :P Those are my goals I hope to reach before the end of the story! Mwahahahhaha.

Speaking of reviews, thank you to everyone who reviewed! Even the ones that were maybe not so great…Cause they got me to my lovely 300! Big thanks to: Sheankelor, AlmondWithUnicornHair, Tokugawa Blitzer, ErisMalfoy1990, FroggerJane, Anon, Ashuraou, ieatmyfeelings, Gemini Peverell, Belladonna1185, JaneAlpha, Sirius-dorkis010, Nocturnal Rose, Lady DestinyHope, Saintsational, Sydney-Jo, Anniriel, Synergist, cherry blossom, AstrophobicChick, augumngold, Pandesme, xXxElectraxXx, and IceprincessIsis3! You guys are amazing!

Please review! And like me on FB!

Huge thanks to Dani the amazing beta!

Next chapter: Harry gets an answer, Hermione gets a visitor, Neville writes a letter, and a snarry scene!


	24. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY THREE**

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><p>Out of anxiety and embarrassment, the words came out quickly and loudly. Harry cast an apprehensive look around the infirmary but, luckily, no one seemed to have heard him. He felt really dumb asking, as though this was something very obvious that he should have known. If Hermione were awake, he would have gone straight to her but it felt too strange asking anyone else. Madam Pomfrey seemed like the next best choice, as well as the obvious one.<p>

Ron's comment had gotten to him a bit. It had thrown him for a loop. Harry didn't want to ask the question in front of everyone and, really, he hadn't thought too much about it until later that night. Then, by morning, he pushed it aside, convincing himself that Ron was just messing around with him. Men couldn't get pregnant! Even if this was the Wizarding world. Right?

But Harry had been sick for _days_. The very thought of the food in the Great Hall was making him feel ill again. He was sexually active, the _bottom_ in this strange relationship, and, Merlin, that was a scary thought. Just thinking about carrying a baby was horrible. But when he thought about the fact that he could be carrying _Snape's_ baby…It was the most disturbing thing in the world!

Madam Pomfrey blinked in surprise. "Can m…Of course not, Mr. Potter!"

"Oh thank God," Harry sighed, dropping his head into his hands and laughing in relief.

"Contrary to popular belief, constant nausea is not strictly a _pregnancy_ symptom. It could mean any number of things. You would not believe the number of girls I've had in here crying because they threw up _once_ and were convinced they were with child," Madam Pomfrey ranted, shaking her head. "You're not even the first to ask me this question, Mr. Potter. Plenty of Muggle-borns face this confusion. _Especially_ with those fairytales that go around."

"Fairytales?" Harry repeated as Pomfrey started running her scans.

"Yes. That's what they call them," she replied distastefully. "Awful rumors that more traditional wizards tell their children, warning them against the horrors of homosexuality. Everything from male pregnancy to gender transformations to the story that the act of anal penetration can kill you!"

Harry blushed when Pomfrey spoke of anal penetration. Pomfrey's eyes sharpened momentarily then softened as she reached out to pat his leg. "Nothing to be ashamed of, Mr. Potter. Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing immoral about preferring your own sex."

"I…I don't. Well…I don't really know. I don't think," Harry stammered.

She gave him a glare again. "Well you might figure it out before you engage in further sexual activity."

"How do you…I haven't…" Harry lied, blushing more.

"There's no use lying, Mr. Potter, and I don't advise doing so to your health advisor!" Pomfrey scolded. "It came up in my scan when I looked for sexually transmitted diseases."

"Sexually…_what_?" Harry gasped.

Pomfrey huffed and marched off, returning a few minutes later with a stack of pamphlets. "They really do need to teach sexual education at this school! I don't care what those prudish parents like to think. You must be educated!"

The blood drained out of his face as he looked down at the pamphlets. The mental image of Snape teaching sex ed attacked his mind. His cock began to stir at the thought of being taken over Snape's desk again and he quickly stuffed his hands between his legs then moving around to try to look more natural about the whole position. This was very bad. Why had he ever brought this up? This was humiliating! He should have known better than to think a guy could have a baby anyway! That was just dumb. Really fucking dumb. "So…erm…what is wrong with me?" Harry asked.

"I believe it is just a bad reaction to a combination of potions you're taking," she replied with a frown. "Have you been taking anything specific?"

"Umm…something for sleep and something for pain. Sometimes I take calming potions or energy…I think that's what they're called…potions."

"Which ones specifically?"

"Erm…"

Pomfrey tsked. "Take a look at them and bring me a list later this afternoon, Potter. That might be the problem. I can easily get you different potions that work more easily together without doing any harm to your body."

Maybe he should have guessed that it was like Muggle medicine where you had to watch what pills you took with what other ones. Potions were bound to be the same way. Only, he never really thought about it, had never really been warned against it. Harry barely knew the difference between the various potions he was taking compared to ones that did similar things. As asked, he'd have to figure out what, specifically, he had been given and bring the list to Pomfrey soon. Maybe it was the pain potion, he couldn't help but to think with a blush. He had only recently started taking that to take care of his sore backside and other muscles that ached from his shagging with Snape. Harry wasn't sure he'd bring that up just yet. "I will. Thanks."

* * *

><p>Madam Pomfrey didn't seem very surprised when Hermione Granger had a visitor first thing in the morning. She did give Ron a glare, though, the moment he walked in, followed shortly by his pretty wife, Hannah. Ron ignored her and walked over to Hermione's bed, sitting by her side while sad blue eyes studied her still sleeping form. She had been sleeping for days. While Madam Pomfrey declared her to be in otherwise good health, Hermione hadn't yet woke despite Madam Pomfrey's hopes. While visiting yesterday morning after breakfast, Ron had overheard Dumbledore discussing the matters with McGonagall and Malfoy. They seemed to think the bond might be making her heal slower and badgered Draco, wondering if anything about their relationship was strained. Malfoy, of course, claimed he wasn't sure, that he thought everything was fine. Yeah right. Hermione had probably come to her senses, told him to bugger off, and the git had pushed her down the stairs! Nowadays he sat at the bedside of the girl he had hurt, moving onto his next victim, who just so happened to be Ron's sister, Ginny.<p>

The ferret wasn't here today, though. Not yet. Ron was grateful. He had been hoping for some alone time with Hermione but Hannah had offered to come and Ron hadn't known how to get out of it without rising suspicion. His wife's eyes watched him as he watched Hermione, her usually friendly face more serious than it usually was, pretty pink lips turned into a most atypical frown. Hannah Weasley combed her fingers through her blond hair as she sat down beside Ron, watching him silently as he took Hermione's hand.

"You come here a lot, don't you?" Hannah asked quietly. "That's why we haven't seen each other much lately."

Ron turned a glare to his wife. "She's my friend, Hannah!"

"I know," Hanna whispered. "I know she is. I know this is upsetting. Only…"

"Only?" Ron asked in confusion.

Hannah sighed heavily, contemplating whether or not she should have brought it up. Ron hardly seemed to notice. It was as though he had forgotten that Hannah had spoken at all. She tried to be an understanding wife. Ron and Hermione had been friends for _years_ before she had come along! They had dated for two years. She might even understand some of his old feelings for Hermione still lingering, though it somewhat bothered her. Especially if what she was concerned about was true. That Ron would try to be unfaithful to her and try to get Hermione back.

"It's just," Hannah went on to say after a few minutes, getting Ron's attention again. "It's just that…Are you still in love with her, Ron?"

Ron's face turned red, defensive anger flaring up in his blue eyes. "I'm married to you, aren't I?"

"That doesn't answer my question," Hannah remarked impatiently.

"How could you even think that? Just because I'm here…She's my _friend_, Hannah!"

"She's also the girl you dated for two years!"

"And I dumped her, remember?"

"Yeah, because Draco Malfoy is her soul mate! _They're_ soul mates, Ron. _They_ belong together. Just like we do. Okay?"

"No, it's not okay! Because you're accusing me…"

"I'm not accusing you, Ronald! I was just asking a bloody question! I suppose that's answered it."

"What's answered it?"

"You're defensive! Over nothing! So, obviously, you're still in love with her!"

"I am not!"

While Ron and Hannah set about bickering, neither noticed the subtle moving of Hermione's body. The way her arm moved into a more comfortable position while she twisted ever so slightly to one side. They were too caught up to hear her quiet moan or notice the way her eyes slowly opened. Hermione, for her part, hardly noticed them as she set about reacquainting herself with the world of the living. She felt so strange, so groggy, heavy, and nauseous. What had happened? Her mouth was dry, feeling as though she had been eating cotton and she smacked her lips with a cringe. It took a lot of energy to set about moving around, attempting to sit up in her bed.

Though neither Ron or Hannah had noticed Hermione yet, Madam Pomfrey did. The medi-witch had been checking on the limbs of the two Hufflepuffs with Vanishing Sickness, declaring them whole and good to go when she caught Hermione moving in her peripheral vision. Then, seconds later, realized the married couple beside her were arguing. Madam Pomfrey hurried over to the bed, eyes narrowed at them. "That's enough! Shoo! Be gone with you until you can learn how to properly _behave_! This is a place of recovery and I will not have you spoiling the health of my patients with your squabbling!"

"We're not doing anything!" Ron quickly said, blue eyes then taking notice to his ex girlfriend. "Hey, Mione! You're awake!"

"Of…" Hermione said, but she didn't have the energy to finish with '_course I am_'.

"Out! Get out! And don't you come back unless you've broken something!" Madam Pomfrey ordered, waving them out.

"But…Hermione!" Ron said.

"She's alive and awake! You'll see her later, Ron. Come on," Hannah said, tugging on her husband's arm.

"But…Oh, alright," grumbled Ron, quickly ducking and running before he could be hit over the head.

Hannah watched him and shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Madam Pomfrey. And I'm sorry to you, too, Hermione."

"As you should be! Arguing right beside someone's sickbed! You're nearly as bad as that couple who thinks an infirmary is a mating ground!" Madam Pomfrey huffed in disgust. "Go along now."

"Yes, of course. Sorry!" Hannah said again with a weak smile, waving to them as she followed her husband out.

Madam Pomfrey began muttering under her breath as she gathered potions together. Hermione watched her for a moment, still trying to comprehend what was going on and where she was. What was the last thing she remembered? She had been walking down the corridor looking for one of the Gryffindor prefects. Romilda Vane was hardly an ideal prefect by Hermione's standards, especially since Romilda kept trying to hook up with one of the Ravenclaw prefects in the special bathroom. As Head Girl, Hermione wanted to promote good behavior, especially among prefects and those from her own House! Romilda had been an irritating snot all day and Hermione was actually looking forward to having a good reason to fuss at her. Then she had seen a few people coming her way. Slytherins, she had guessed. She thought she might have even seen a face, but…Really, it was all very fuzzy. Had they hexed her or something?

"Madam Pomfrey, what happened to me?" Hermione finally managed to ask, her voice hoarse and quiet.

"I'm afraid you took a nasty fall down the stairs," Madam Pomfrey replied with a frown. "We suspect you were pushed, though we haven't seen any evidence of who it might have been. I'm sure the headmaster will wish to speak with you about it once you're released."

"That would be pointless. I don't remember falling, let alone who pushed me," Hermione said, shaking her head.

"You don't even remember being around anyone?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"I remember people approaching but I didn't recognize them," Hermione replied.

"Hmm. Well then… He'll want to speak with you anyway. He probably hopes he can help you remember," she replied.

"Goodness. How long have I been out?" she asked, glancing towards the windows. It was light out! It had been very late at night when she had been walking.

"A few days, dear," she said, patting Hermione's leg.

Hermione's eyes grew wide. "A few _days_?"

"Well, yes," Madam Pomfrey replied.

"How bad was it?" Hermione demanded, voice growing high-pitched. She _had_ fallen down a staircase, she supposed. It had to be bad. She quickly looked down at herself for evidence of broken bones or anything else then remembered she had been here for _days_ and that Madam Pomfrey would have fixed those by now.

"Not nearly as bad as it could have been," the matron replied. "Though I did expect you to rouse at some point during the first day."

"Then why didn't I?" Hermione asked, trying her hardest to sound calm.

"The headmaster believes it has something to do with your bond," she replied. "As well as…"

"As well as what?" Hermione asked, stomach dropping.

"As well as the fact that you're…Well, Miss Granger, you're pregnant," Madam Pomfrey whispered.

"I'm _what_?" Hermione shrieked. "I can't be pregnant!"

"_What_?"

Hearing Draco Malfoy's voice, Hermione thought her heart had stopped. Her eyes grew impossibly wide when she saw Draco and Ginny standing just behind Madam Pomfrey, both looking very pale. "I'm going to be sick," Hermione mumbled faintly. Madam Pomfrey immediately grabbed a bucket and held it over to her. Hermione leaned her head over it and leaned it against the edges of the cool metal. Her stomach was twisting horribly and bile had risen in her throat. She would probably feel better if she _did_ vomit but it didn't seem like anything was coming out anytime soon. This was at least a good reason to keep her face hidden from view.

"Really, my patient's health care is none of your concern," Madam Pomfrey barked.

"It's…He's the father, M…Yeah," Hermione muttered. She tried saying it was okay, as well as saying the matron's name, but half of her words were lost. At least the important fact was there.

"Well, I see," Madam Pomfrey said, eying Draco and Ginny critically. The pair blushed then Ginny stepped away from Draco who walked around to the other side of the bed.

"When you fell, there was a great chance of a miscarriage," Madam Pomfrey said. "However, Professor Dumbledore believes one of two things happened. Either your child is very lucky to have survived the trip while your bond was struggling, which would be why it took you so long to wake. Or your bond is _strong_ and is the reason the baby is safe, though the magic needed to protect the baby drained you too much. That's another thing the headmaster will want to speak with you about I believe. To see which it was."

"Of course," Hermione mumbled.

"Do you need anything, dear?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"A time turner."

"Tsk. I'm afraid we can't go around changing the past so you'll have to do with taking your potions," Madam Pomfrey replied. "I will give you a small supply of these. Two drops of each daily, for the duration of your pregnancy. This will be your last dose of the pain potion because you seem to be doing much better. The others are useless now that you're awake. Just two drops of those then a sip of this. I want you to stay here the rest of the day so that I can keep an eye on things."

"I…Yes, of course," Hermione said weakly. Normally she would protest, especially having missed so many classes. Right now, though, she had more important things to worry about.

"Pregnant. You're pregnant," Draco said, slightly dazed.

"It would seem so," Hermione said.

"Oh Merlin," Ginny muttered, sinking down into a chair.

"What are you so upset about?" Hermione snapped. "_You're_ not the one having a baby!"

"It's surprising, Hermione! Especially that you…" Ginny said defensively.

"Especially that it's me?" Hermione snapped. "What? I might not be as pretty as you, Ginny, but I…"

"That has nothing to do with it! I just thought you were _smarter_ than that, is all," Ginny barked. "What is with you? Surely, pregnancy hormones don't kick in _this_ early? You're not even showing yet!"

"I…Oh, I'm sorry, Ginny. I'm just…Oh God. I'm pregnant?" Hermione said, hands grasping at her flat stomach. The bucket she abandoned rolled off the bed and clattered to the floor.

"That's what Madam Pomfrey said," Ginny said softly. Her bright brown eyes continued to move to Draco who was determinedly not looking at either of them. Hermione noticed this and frowned as she, too, glanced at Draco.

Something was going on there. Hermione had noticed them growing closer before her fall. Maybe they had been growing closer since, she thought bitterly. And now she was pregnant with his child! They weren't even dating, had only had sex once and he was clearly more interested in her best friend! Hermione blinked rapidly against the tears that threatened to well up in her eyes. This was too much! She was only seventeen. Hermione wasn't even sure she wanted children. The only plans she had involved passing school with flying colors, fighting in this war, and finding a respectable job where she could do some good in the world. Husbands and children, unlike most of her female classmates, had never factored into the equation.

It seemed she was going to have to work a baby into her plans now. She could never have an abortion. There was always adoption, but…

Oh, bugger.

Hermione really did not want to think about this right now. With her mind, though, thoughts whirled around chaotically, already searching for the proper solution. She groaned and leaned back into bed, crossing her arms over her face. "I think you should both leave now. I'm…I'm very tired."

"She's pregnant," Draco whispered, still staring into space.

"Yes, she is," Ginny hissed. Hermione then felt Ginny pat her arm. "I'll come to see you later, okay?"

"Maybe it's best if you didn't. I…I'm just not feeling very well," Hermione said, voice cracking.

"Bu…Oh…Well, okay. I'll just…I'll see you later then. Come on Draco."

Hermione's heart thudded in her chest as she felt them move away. She dared herself to peek when it seemed they had moved far enough away. Draco and Ginny walked very close together, hands hanging by their sides, bumping into each other as though secretly hoping the other would take their hand. Her throat closed up, tears stinging her eyes, heart aching as she watched them disappear. Then she rolled over onto her side, burying her face in her pillow. What an awful situation to find herself in!

Seconds later, the curtains around her bed were slowly drawing closed and Hermione glanced up to see Madam Pomfrey closing them with her wand, wearing a sympathetic look. Hermione smiled weakly in thanks then curled back up in bed, trying her darnedest not to cry herself to sleep.

* * *

><p>While Hermione laid in the infirmary, trying to deal with the newest issue in her life, her favorite haunt was being occupied by Neville Longbottom. He sat at Hermione's favorite table near her favorite chair, he didn't quite have the heart to sit in it himself, with a stack of books he intended to bring to the infirmary later. They were some of the few Madam Pince would allow out of the library and she was especially accommodating to those who said they were bringing them to read to Hermione until she woke up. He was no longer looking for books though and, instead, had his completed Herbology work beside the letter he was working on. That way, if Madam Pince decided to be nosy, or anyone else for that matter, he could quickly cover the letter and claim to be working on his essay.<p>

The library was the ideal place for letter-writing, Neville found. At least this letter. He had tried working on this very one several times yesterday outside under his favorite tree or by the lake. The outdoors was a favorite hangout of many, however, and too many people walked by for his liking. At least in the library it was quiet, not that many people liked to be here, and those who were happened too busy with their homework to pay attention to anyone else.

_Dear Cedric,_

That was all he really had written so far. Below it were many other lines that were crossed out. Once he got a good start, he would rewrite it all on a fresh sheet. He needed to be smooth about this, word it in a way that wouldn't be embarrassing. How was Neville supposed to bear looking Cedric in the face again if he screwed this up? Cedric was such a sweet person though. He would never be mean about it. But that wouldn't make Neville feel any less humiliated if this didn't go right. He had to ask Cedric out in an ambiguous sort of way so that if he didn't see him that way, it could just seem like he wanted to hang out. But if Cedric _did_ want it to be more, he could see it that way as well. It wasn't as if Neville had much experience in this area. He had never really admitted to anyone that he was gay so he hadn't necessarily dated at all. Pathetic being as he was seventeen. His lack of experience was only doing him harm now. He should have at least practiced! That way, when he _really_ wanted someone the way he liked Cedric right now, he could go about it somewhat confidently.

_So we should probably work on the bond…_

_Do you have plans for the weekend of October 5__th__? You see…_

_How is work? If you ever needed a break…_

_All of my friends have dates for the first Hogsmeade weekend, so I won't have anyone to hang out with, so if you wouldn't mind…_

All the lines were crossed out, leaving Neville feeling more and more foolish. How hard was this supposed to be? Neville chewed nervously on the nip of the quill, staring down at the rather intimidating parchment. This was useless. What was he even thinking? He and Cedric would _have_ to meet up at some point to work on their bond. Dumbledore was making everyone else do it! They could spend time together then. If things ever went well _then_ Neville could try asking Cedric out. If not, then he would know not to. Right?

Taking a deep breath, Neville dipped his quill in the ink and set about writing again. His face burned as he wrote _I really like you. Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?_ He knew as soon as he thought the words that he could never send such a letter but it did feel good to actually have written them down. He set about scratching the words out when he heard a chuckle directly behind him. Neville gasped, all of the color draining from his face as he realized that someone was standing directly behind him, reading over his shoulder.

"Have a little crush, do we, Longbottom?" asked Blaise Zabini. "I know he has a pretty face but you know Diggory's a wizard, don't you?"

"Of course I know that!" Neville muttered, hurriedly shoving his Herbology homework over the letter, though it was useless. Blaise had already seen.

"Oh ho ho! Have something to share with us, then?" Blaise asked, pulling up a nearby chair and sitting down. "Don't tell me you secretly steal your grandmother's dresses and play dress up. Do you feel like a pretty girl?"

"I'm not a girl!" Neville snapped heatedly, though his voice cracked and didn't come off quite as confidently as he had hoped.

"Not much difference, though, is there? Between a girl and a _fairy_," Blaise spat.

"Don't call me that," Neville mumbled.

"What was that? I can't hear you."

"Don't _call_ me that."

"What else would you call a little boy who likes _cock_?"

Neville cringed at the dirty word, heat creeping into his cheeks. "Don't say that, either."

"Come now, Neville. How do you expect to take cock if you can't even say the word?"

"Merlin's balls, Blaise, leave him alone!"

Neville turned to his savior in surprise. Daphne Greengrass stood nearby, staring at them in shock and disgust.

"He's the one writing love letters to that Diggory boy," Blaise said smoothly.

"You're just angry because Ginevra Weasley likes Draco more than you!" Daphne snapped. Blaise glared at her warningly. "Now you're taking it out on Longbottom because he's the easiest target. No offense, Longbottom."

"Not at all," Neville said gratefully.

"You seem to have your loyalties all messed up, Daphne," Blaise remarked coolly.

"No, I don't. I love you, Blaise, but you can't just pick on someone because you're mad. If you're mad at Draco, go take it out on him!"

"I can't! He's probably too busy snogging Ginny!" Blaise growled. "Look, this isn't even about him. This is what we do!"

"It's what we used to do when we were young and stupid," Daphne snapped. "I personally thought we were growing up."

"The only thing we were doing was trying to get into Gryffindor beds," Blaise said darkly, standing up. "But I'm tired of that game. I'm a _Slytherin_."

"Don't even say that," Daphne hissed. "I, for one, don't want the word Slytherin to be a synonym for arrogant, ruthless _tormentor_! I'm proud of my house and I would prefer it be known for its better qualities. Not for pigs like you and Theodore Nott."

"Don't _even_ compare me to that prat!"

"Don't _act_ like that prat!" Daphne snapped. "Come on, Longbottom. Take a walk with me?"

"Umm," said Neville, glancing uneasily at Blaise. He didn't know Daphne all that well and would have preferred staying in the library. He figured Blaise would be too stubborn to be the one to leave though and Daphne had stuck up for him. "Alright."

Blaise just glared at them while Neville put away his things and Daphne waited patiently by the table, arms crossed over her chest. When Neville stood up, Daphne linked her arm through his, stalking off, half dragging Neville behind her. She was muttering things under her breath like "can't believe that prick!" and "going to hurt him so bad!" Once in the corridor, Neville pulled on her arm to slow her down. Daphne obediently halted, letting Neville catch up and pull her along in a slow walk.

"He should apologize to you," Daphne said irritably. "He's just upset because he likes someone…"

"Ginny?" Neville said.

"Yeah," Daphne sighed. "I don't get it. No offense to her or anything but they pretty much hated her family until recently. Now they're both in love with her or something! I'm sure Blaise really likes her. He's…actually hurt. I don't think he's ever liked a girl before. That's still no excuse for his behavior! I mean, if he were going to be an arse to someone you'd think he'd act that way towards one of them. Right?"

"No offense to you but I'm sort of used to being bullied by Slytherins," Neville said.

Daphne frowned. "Yes, I know. Isn't this whole house rivalry _stupid_?" She shook her head. "I've never bought into it myself, but Pansy…Well she had us all in her nasty claws and I've done some awful things. But I have Charles now and…Well, I could care about him. Even if he is a Gryffindor and a blood traitor, you know? And if Blaise can have feelings for Ginevra and if Draco can have feelings for Hermione, then why is it even such a big deal anyway?"

"I've always wondered that myself," Neville confessed.

She smiled softly. "Right. Well, did you want help with your letter?"

Neville blushed. "No, it was a stupid idea anyway."

"Well, if you're sure," Daphne said. "You can just walk to me to the front door if you'd like. I don't really expect you to hang around me all afternoon. I only thought it might be a good way to get you from Blaise."

"Thanks," said Neville. "We can always go around the lake, though. I mean, if you're serious about the whole House rivalry thing it might help if we hung out a bit."

"True," Daphne said, linking her arm through his again. "Besides, you're actually not half bad for a Longbottom."

Neville laughed. "You're not so bad yourself. You know, for a Greengrass."

Meanwhile, back in the library, Blaise glared after them then stood up from the table. Now what was he supposed to do? He had hoped to have _at least_ ten minutes worth of picking on Longbottom before the boy ran off crying. Out of frustration, Blaise kicked a leg of the table, earning him a cough and a glare from Madam Pince. Blaise saluted sarcastically then spun around and marched to the back of the library. This had all started when Draco and Ginny had walked into the library together holding hands. They looked like they were trying to make it seem like a friendly gesture but Blaise knew better. He wasn't blind.

Maybe Daphne was right. Maybe he _should_ be taking it out on them!

There they were. Draco was sitting on the floor with his back pressed against the wall, face buried in his hands, breathing deeply. Ginny was kneeling beside him, whispering comfortingly. What on earth had happened to Draco? Curiosity and concern were almost enough to distract him from his annoyance. But not enough. Not with the beautiful Ginny Weasley sitting there with her hand on his knee. Blaise's throat felt dry and tight so he swallowed hard as he glared at them. Seeming to sense someone nearby, Ginny glanced up and smiled weakly at him. "Hello, Blaise."

Draco seemed to stiffen at the sound of his name so Blaise grinned nastily. He felt sick to his stomach. Despite what he wanted, he didn't quite have it in him to be an arse here and now. It didn't matter that his best friend was upset about something or that he was angry at said best friend. Blaise was too proud to let himself fall apart here. He was _not_ going to let a Malfoy get the better of him! Blaise turned back around instead and walked off.

"Blaise!" Ginny called out after him.

"Shhhh!" Madam Pince hissed from her desk.

Blaise didn't stop.

* * *

><p>"Sorry I went and got detention tonight."<p>

"Oh, that's fine! Everyone knows how much Snape hates you. No offense or anything."

Harry laughed as he and Astoria turned down the last staircase. Snape had given him detention tonight to work more on their bond and he was secretly excited about the prospect of sex, though just as nervous about it. Sex was good but, at the same time, he was embarrassed about having it with Snape. He _still_ felt dirty and ashamed of himself from the last time! Tonight, though, he especially felt bad since he was supposed to be tutoring Astoria. She didn't seem completely put off though and offered to walk him to detention. Her common room _was_ in the dungeon after all. They could always reschedule for the following day, Astoria had assured him.

"None taken," he said.

"So what _did_ you do to earn yourself a detention?" Astoria asked.

"Breathing," Harry snorted, rolling his eyes. "Though he claims I was purposefully chopping the Valerian roots wrong to intentionally ruin my potion. Said he was saving the class from me blowing them up."

"Right," giggled Astoria, batting her eyelashes at him. Then she purred, "What a bad boy you are."

Harry blushed and coughed leaving Astoria to giggle. "Yes, well, what can I say? Just can't help myself. Have to show those ingredients who's boss."

"Tough, strong, dashingly handsome! No wonder you're so popular," Astoria said. "At least I know if I'm ever attacked by porcupine quills you'll be there to save the day."

"Oh, indeed. I'll crush them instead of slice them you know," Harry laughed.

"How charming," said a cold voice from nearby.

Harry and Astoria stopped, glancing to a nearby door in surprise. Snape stepped out of one of the unused classrooms with his arms crossed over his chest while Vector and Babbling stepped out with their arms full of scrolls and books, whispering to one another as they hurried away. Snape glared at them, eyes never leaving the pair as he closed and locked the door behind him. "You may leave, Miss Greengrass. I didn't give you detention."

"Oh, well, I was just walking…"

"He's here now. I have him. He hardly needs a chaperone. Go."

"Oh…Yes, sir," Astoria said meekly. She gave Harry's arm a squeeze before walking off. Harry blinked at Snape while the man continued to glower at him a moment then jerked his head in the direction of his office before stalking towards it. Harry took a deep breath to brace himself then followed.

Snape started in on him the moment he closed the door behind him, putting up the locking and silencing charms. "You seem to be confused these days."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"About your sexuality."

Harry blushed, but didn't look away when Snape gave him a calculating look. It was true actually. He liked what he did with Snape but was he attracted to men? Was he attracted to women even? He had never really had to think about it before now. Still, he didn't like that anyone would know about it. "What do you mean?"

"You've been _flirting_ with Miss Greengrass," Snape spat, the word coming out like he was spitting venom. "Ladies man during the day and my whore by night. What a life you live, Mr. Potter."

Harry's eyes flashed angrily, fingers curling into fists at his side. His heart and his head began to pound, body growing warm as Snape's words pierced through him. Had it not been so true, he might have felt better. But wasn't that how he had been feeling since the last time? As if he were Snape's little toy?

"I am not your whore, Snape," Harry snapped.

"Hmm. You may be right about that. Whores are paid, aren't they? Prostitution is their _duty_, isn't it? A job. Responsibility," Snape said. "No, you're my _slut_, aren't you? The way you writhe beneath my touch. _Beg_ me to fuck you. Spreading your legs wider for me. Moaning for me. Yes, you're right. Slut is a more accurate term."

"I am not your slut!" Harry shouted. "It's just…We…For the bond…"

"Yes, blame the bond," Snape said, a malicious gleam in his dark eyes. "But the bond wasn't forcing us to do anything, Mr. Potter. You wanted me."

"How could anyone want you?" Harry snarled. "You're an ugly, greasy…"

"Git," Snape supplied, eyebrow arched before Harry could say the word. "I am well aware of my appearance. The fact that you respond so well to me _looking_ as horrendous as I do must be all the more mortifying, isn't it?" As he said this, he reached out to grab Harry's crotch, rubbing it just so to make Harry grasp his arms, hips bucking up into that skillful hand. His cock, which had been soft only seconds ago, was now growing under Snape's urging. Merlin that hand felt so good! He just wanted to yank his trousers down so that he could feel that nice, cool hand on his heated flesh.

"St…Stop," Harry gritted out, pushing Snape away from him.

Snape wasn't taking no for an answer. He advanced on Harry, backing him into his desk and leaning in close. "But we haven't finished yet, Mr. Potter," he whispered, swiftly unbuttoning Harry's trousers, his hand sneaking inside before he could protest. When Harry reached out to pull him away, he could only clutch at Snape again as that hand met his erection, fingers wrapping around the now fully hard shaft, stroking up and down slowly, teasingly. Harry moaned loudly then Snape took his mouth in a demanding kiss that left him breathless. All Harry could do was cling helplessly at Snape's robes, feeling himself turning into a puddle under that proficient touch. He whimpered as Snape's tongue traced his lips, eagerly parting his lips to allow it inside. He kissed back as well as he could, considering how much he was moaning as Snape gripped him tighter, stroking him faster. The potions master nipped at his tongue and his lips before moving his mouth along Harry's jaw and to his neck. Harry bit his lip as Snape began to suck at his pulse point, all rational thought fading away. He felt too confined in his clothes, wanted nothing more than to rip them away and spread himself as wide as possible for Snape on his desk or on the floor or anywhere Snape would take him.

As if he could read Harry's thoughts, Snape chuckled and trailed his tongue along the contour of Harry's ear. "So wanton…exquisitely shameless, my little slut."

The words froze Harry. It felt like something very big and nasty had dropped into his stomach. Snape never stopped the movement of his hands. Harry still moaned because it still felt good. But he had his mind back, and the more Snape touched him and the more he liked it, the more horrified he became. "Stop it!" Harry growled. He reached down to grip Snape's wrist, somewhat regretfully pulling him away and shoving him. "Stop."

Snape moved closer once more, but Harry fumbled with his robes and grabbed his wand, nonverbally summoning the band from Gryffindor Tower. As he did so, he scooted around the desk, eyes trained on Snape. Whenever Snape moved forward too fast, Harry would jump away.

"Come now, Harry. We have to appease the bond, you know," Snape said with a wicked smirk.

"If you want to appease the bond then you can bend over, you sick pervert!" Harry snapped.

Snape snorted. "Hardly, Mr. Potter."

"Well, you're going to have to," Harry snarled. "I'm not your _whore_. You want this to work so much then you can take it up the arse. Because until you do, I _won't_."

The nasty gleam in Snape's eyes grew cold, that smirk fading away. Harry felt distantly triumphant. "I do not _take it_, Mr. Potter. Certainly not from prepubescent boys."

"Well, that's the deal," Harry said firmly. His cock twitched, begging him to give in so that he might have Snape's touch. He was lucky the band zoomed in when it did. He could already feel the bond working, making him more desperate. Harry gladly slipped the band on over his wrist. It didn't help his horniness in the slightest, but it at least meant he wouldn't jump Snape as easily. "I won't let you fuck me if you can't extend the same courtesy. I'm not your toy, Snape. We're soul mates. We're equals."

"We are _not_ equals, Potter," Snape growled. "Do you remember what it was like when we were ignoring the bond? Hmm?"

"Do you?" Harry retorted. "I don't want to lose control of my magic but neither do you. I will not let you use me like that, though. Not even for this bond! I respect myself more than that and I _won't_ give you anything until you can respect me, too."

"You haven't _earned_ any respect, you ungrateful brat!"

"Neither have you but you still expect people to call you 'sir'," Harry pointed out.

"Ten points from Gryffindor."

"Must be getting very irritated now that you're not getting laid," Harry taunted.

"You're willing to just let the bond fail because of your own selfish needs?" Snape spat.

"Aren't you?" Harry shot back. "I'm not going to let you win this, Snape. Besides, there are other alternatives to getting the bond to work. Just try to play nice and we don't even need the sex."

"As if you could," Snape replied coldly.

"I'd be willing to try. It sure beats having to shag your nasty, smelly, ugly, mean self."

"Maybe you can work on your time not getting fucked working on better insults," Snape retorted.

Harry shrugged. "Guess I'll go do that now." With that, he turned towards the door.

"I don't think so, Mr. Potter," Snape said. Glancing over his shoulder, Harry saw that the potions master was smirking again. "You still have a detention to serve."

Harry glared at him. "The only point in that was to work on the bond."

"But it's still a detention," Snape reminded him.

"For cutting up roots wrong? Ron _and_ Neville were doing worse on their potions than I was!" Harry snapped.

"Undoubtedly, but they have the excuse of being brainless. You simply do not care because you are so arrogant you believe you don't _need_ to learn the art of Potions. You believe you'll have the w…"

"Whole world handed to you on a silver platter," Harry joined him in saying. The two glared at each other. "I am not arrogant, Snape. It's not my fault you're rubbish at teaching."

"Twenty points from Gryffindor. And another detention, I think," Snape sneered.

Harry's jaw and fists clenched as he glowered at his professor. Snape was being a real prat but since when was that news? He was especially frustrated because of this bond and could do with a good wank right about now! How was he supposed to get through detention in his state? The bond was going to drive them both mad! He wasn't even sure if the band would be enough to stop him. The band could easily be removed if he got desperate enough. Already, he was itching to yank it off and toss it across the room. The way Snape's eyes traveled down to his wrist, Harry figured that was what the man was counting on.

Too bad for Snape Harry was determined to see this out. He had never been on top before. Didn't he deserve a chance? Harry wasn't just going to lay there and take it without a fight! It wasn't fair that the sex left him feeling so rotten then to have Snape rub it all in his face. He wasn't a masochist and he had enough people treating him like dirt in his life. How pathetic did you have to be to spread your legs to someone while they were insulting you like that?

Could he keep it up for long? Probably not. Harry wasn't sure he was very willing to actually let the bond suffer. It was too risky. But he would hold off as long as he possibly could. He needed Snape to give in. It was important that the relationship they have be as equal and respectful as possible, even if they did hate each other.

Head held high, Harry sat in front of Snape's desk. He watched the man expectantly, doing his best not to let any of his arousal or nervousness show. Snape just watched him for a very long moment before going behind his desk and instructing Harry to write lines.

It was going to be a very long night.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Biggest thing is don't think what was said in this chapter means I've let those anti-mpreg people get to me! This story _is_ an mpreg, and this chapter has been planned exactly as is for weeks now. As to the mpreg thing and what was mentioned in this chapter…You'll have to see! Cause I ain't sayin' nuffin!

Also…Huge, huge thing. Last chapter got MORE THAN 30 REVIEWS! How freaking amazing is that? One before got me to 300 total, this one got my new goal of 30 reviews…Guess it won't be long now until AstrophobicChick writes me that essay, huh? ;) lmao! This is so exciting! I was seriously very excited and happy and I thank you all so, so much for reviewing! That's an insane number for one chapter! I love you guys so, so, so, so, so, so much! I'm really, really happy and I just hope you all know just how appreciative I am of all of those reviews! I'm like the happiest person ever right now!

Big thanks to all of you fantastic reviewers: Tokugawa Blitzer, Belladonna1185, AlmondWithUnicornHair, monkeygirl66, Hannah, ashuraou, Snapy, Pandesme, Anonimous, AstrophobicChick, yyhs, Nocturnal Rose, Sydney-Jo, augumngold, Sheankelor, Anniriel, Avery Athena Black, lalaland, xXxElectraxXx, IceprincessIsis3, Extraho606, ieatmyfeelings, Ravenclaw Samurai, Sirius-dorkis010, Paige Taylor, Cherry Blossom, Saintsational, Lady DestinyHope, Deatheaters-anonymous, bonnielovesclyde, sev's-sexy-mistress, and veronik! You are all wonderful! *hands out lots of candy and cookies and such…and throws confetti and brings out the helium balloons and has a party*

Don't forget to like me on FB!

Also thanks so much to my wonderful beta!


	25. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR**

* * *

><p>It ended up being another three days before Hermione was released from the hospital wing. Her body remained weak from her drained magic, causing her to sleep more than half of the day and unable to do much when she was actually awake. During one of her conscious times, Dumbledore had come in then asked to meet with Draco and herself. He was pleased to announce that their bond was actually more stable than most and was what had saved their unborn child. There was a bit of time spent making arrangements involving Hermione's pregnancy as well as her classes, most specifically in Defense and Potions while there was also some question about more dangerous materials that would be found in Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology that they would have to work around. Just hearing about the pregnancy made both Draco and Hermione ill though Hermione, at least, powered through it and tried to listen. She knew it was important to get this all figured out and to do so as quickly as possible.<p>

By the time she was released, Hermione felt unprepared to return to the 'real world'. Leaving the infirmary meant having to _deal_ with actually being pregnant. At least there, she was still surrounded by her thoughts and plans. Out here, she would have to put them into practice. She would have to tell people, take care of herself and the baby, deal with her classes as well as make a decision about her future. She was also going to have to talk to Draco about everything as it was his baby, too. Reluctantly, she walked away from the hospital wing, clutching her bag tightly in her hands, loaded with books and pamphlets about pregnancy. There was a magical pregnancy book, articles about teen pregnancy, a baby name book, information about abortion, adoption, and rearing a child. Per request, there was also a book about pregnancy from a medical perspective that she found both interesting and useful. She hadn't dared to touch the books while she was healing, especially since she could hardly get her head to stop spinning long enough to read before today. Already Hermione planned to hole up in her room to start reading them all. She had a lot to learn in the next several months.

"Hermione?"

She had walked right by Draco without even noticing him. At the sound of his voice, Hermione turned, smiling weakly at him. Draco looked much the same as he had when he found out about the baby. He was more pale than usual, still wearing that slightly dazed and terrified look on his face. His normally immaculate white blond hair was now thin, greasy, and messy, as though he had been playing with it too much. Almost as if he were sensing her thoughts, his nervous hand scratched through his tortured locks. When he pulled his hand back, he had to shake it to let the stray hairs that had come out fall to the ground. "Uh…Hi, Draco."

"Hi," he said timidly.

They stood there for a moment, looking at each other silently. When he didn't appear to be saying more, Hermione cleared her throat and stepped back. "Well, I better get going."

"Can I walk with you?" Draco asked.

"Oh, I suppose," Hermione said.

Together they headed in the direction of Gryffindor Tower, things never more awkward between them. Hermione didn't know what to say, if she should even say anything. There was this anxiety within her, this expectation to just do _something_, but as she wasn't sure what that something was and was left tense. It felt as though there were words stuck in her throat, something just itching to come out that she had to keep held back on the tip of her tongue. Her entire body felt a similar need, to move, to physically reach out and touch or push him. There was just this need within her that was so pronounced, so alive that holding it all in was suffocating her. She felt overwhelmed now, wishing she had told him no or that she could get away from him soon just so she could stop worrying about things that didn't even matter.

"So…We're having a baby," Draco said quietly.

"Yes, I guess we are," Hermione said. "Madam Pomfrey says it's a boy. A son."

Draco stopped walking for a moment, looking as though he had stopped breathing as well. Then he seemed to shake himself out of it then started walking again. "A boy?"

"Mhm. He's due late May," Hermione said, clutching her bag a little tighter. She couldn't wait to get back to her rooms to read these books. Or one of her school books. She did have work to catch up on and anything was better than sticking around wondering about her unborn son.

"May," Draco repeated, ruffling his hair again. "Wow."

Hermione just nodded as they continued to walk. How the hell were they going to be parents? Maybe she should mention her ideas of adoption but maybe that was a conversation better left for when they both had clearer minds about the whole thing.

"We could get married," Draco said.

Her heart skipped a bit. Her eyes widened then glanced at him, just as quickly turning back to the corridor in front of her as they turned onto a staircase. "No, we couldn't," she said reluctantly.

How relieved he looked made her heart sink. "Why not?" he asked anyway.

"We're too young," she replied.

"But we're having a baby," Draco pointed out.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Hermione snapped. "A healthy baby does not a happy marriage make."

"What does _that_ have to do with anything?" Draco snorted. "I don't want my child to be born illegitimate."

"And I don't want to be married to someone who doesn't love me," Hermione said stiffly. "What would _Ginny_ think about that?"

"Ginny?" Draco asked, trying to sound confused. She saw the panic in his gray eyes, the way his pale cheeks flushed pink. "What does she have to do with this?"

Her jaw and fists clenched, frustration heatedly bubbling up inside of her. She could think of a great deal of nasty things to say about them! How easy it would be to scream what a horrible person he was, what a whore Ginny was, and how awful they both made her feel. It took reminding herself that they couldn't be faulted and to keep her mouth shut. They didn't know about her feelings. Even if they did, they shouldn't have to be unhappy just to appease her. If they cared about each other there was no reason not to pursue a relationship. Even if Draco was _her_ soul mate, even if she was carrying his baby! It didn't make sense to demand 'loyalty' from them. They weren't doing anything wrong. Like a mantra, the words flew through her mind. Maybe it hurt her but they didn't know. It wasn't fair to hate them. She couldn't be angry. She didn't have the right.

She struggled with words for a long time. In the silence, she knew she needed to say something, but wasn't sure what words she needed to give him. There was a strangely empty feeling in her throat and chest where she had felt all of the perturbed expressions had been building up, threatening to overflow not too long ago. Only when Draco said her name did she force herself to give some kind of acknowledgement. She sighed heavily and said, "Nothing."

Quiet fell over them again as they reached the next landing, drawing closer to Gryffindor Tower. Hermione just wanted to snap at him to go back to the dungeons but the words were lost in her throat. Something deep inside of her wanted to scream it out at the top of her lungs but that part of her was drowning somewhere deep inside, unable to burst forth and spur her into action. She'd been feeling trapped that way since she woke up. There was so much she wanted to say and she either had to hold it back or, when she wanted it to come up it would hide away, too frail to come forth.

"We should talk about this," Draco said, sounding very much like he didn't want to talk about it, as the Fat Lady came into view.

"Not today," Hermione said quietly.

"But we'll talk about it? Soon?" Draco asked.

"Yes. We will," Hermione said, tone agitated.

"Good. Just don't do anything until we talk, alright?" Draco asked nervously, eyes trailing down fearfully at her midsection.

Her stomach clenched. "I would _never_ do that, Draco!" Hermione hissed. _Even if it would make things easier_. The words were so close to coming out but she let out a yelp of horrified shock, shook her head vehemently then turned to the Fat Lady to spit out the password. Draco called out her name in surprise but Hermione ignored him as she rushed past her house mates to her dormitory. Everyone called out their greeting but now was no time for niceties.

She thought that. She had actually thought that having an abortion would be easier! It was true but it wasn't the sort of thing one should think! That was her _baby_. How could anyone think something so horrible about their own baby? Her eyes felt irritated so she blinked them rapidly, hardly realizing they were tearing up until wetness began to slide under her eyes. Dropping her bag to the floor, Hermione clamped both hands hard over her mouth to keep from sobbing. The sound was in her throat, begging to be released. It was tight in her chest, so much that it was aching.

Kicking her bag across the floor, closer to her bed, Hermione climbed under the covers and, with a flick of her wand, the blankets pulled up neatly over her slender body while the curtains closed tightly around her bed. She needed to calm down, collect her thoughts so that she could go on with life. Hermione Granger wasn't going to lie about in bed all day weeping miserably! Things were tough but she was going to get through this.

Logically knowing this, however, was much different from believing it.

* * *

><p>Most of the Gryffindor Quidditch team seemed uneasy about having Slytherins in the stands during their practice though no one ever said anything directly to Blaise and Daphne. Not when Daphne seemed to be friendly with Neville. The pair half looking through a Herbology magazine while watching the practice. Blaise had noticed several odd looks come their direction but Ginny and Potter seemed to be reassuring everyone that it was fine. He did get a stern look from Potter that Blaise understood as a warning not to bugger this up. It did seem that the Gryffindors were showing off a bit. Only Potter, the captain himself, seeming a bit off of his game. Blaise frowned as Ron Weasley and Ginny rushed over to keep him steady when he swayed on his broom for the tenth time. Like always, Potter shook himself and continued on.<p>

It was hard not to notice Potter when he was screwing up but most of Blaise's attention was on Ginny. She was a brilliant flier! Ginny was probably one of the best at Hogwarts. Her captain was only one of a few he would name who was better than her, though he was the worst of the lot today. Eventually, Potter could no longer carry on and had to cut practice short. The whole team gathered around him as he gagged and stumbled around. Blaise stood up and walked to the railing, leaning over to get a better look. Noticing that something was happening, Neville and Daphne jumped up as well. "What's wrong with him?" Daphne asked with a frown.

"I don't know," Blaise replied.

"Harry hasn't been feeling very well for a week," Neville told them.

"He probably shouldn't be playing if he feels so bad," Daphne commented.

"Yeah, well, you don't know Harry," Neville laughed. "You'd have to fight to keep him out of the air. Sometimes even that doesn't work."

Down below, Potter waved off the crowd and managed to walk somewhat steadily away, Weasley not far behind him. The rest of the team started to follow and Blaise frowned when he saw the redhead going with them. "Hey, Ginny!" Blaise called out.

Ginny glanced up at him, looking as though she had forgotten he was there then grinned and nodded. She disappeared from view for a moment then appeared at the end of the stands, jogging over to where he was sitting. Her cheeks were flushed pink, a light sheen of sweat glittering on her pale skin. "Hey, Blaise," she said breathlessly after greeting the other two. "What'd you think?"

"I think Potter could do with a few days in bed," Blaise snorted.

Ginny laughed. "Yeah, I know. He has to get better soon. The first match of the season is coming up."

"Gryffindor versus Slytherin. I'm almost torn over who to root for," he teased.

"How sweet," Ginny grinned. "That you would even consider cheering on us Gryffindors is touching."

"Well they _do_ have my favorite player."

"Aww, I'll let Harry know about your crush then. Don't think I haven't noticed you checking out his arse."

"That is a very disturbing mental image, Ginevra."

"No, it's not! Have you ever _seen_ his arse? Good Merlin…"

Blaise quirked an eyebrow. "Have you?"

"It's hard not to notice a good backside in these uniforms," she teased. "Those trousers we have to wear…You have _no_ idea."

"I'd rather it stayed that way. I'm going to have nightmares about Potter's arse enough as it is."

Ginny laughed. "Hmm. Hermione's supposed to get out today."

"Is she?" Blaise said. "I heard she's pregnant."

The sparkle in Ginny's eyes had dulled, all traces of a smile gone. Blaise felt his own good mood slipping away. He had brought it up out of curiosity. Hermione had never told him anything when he was visiting, though he had overheard a few things from her as well as Madam Pomfrey, that led him to believe she was. He had been very hopeful about it. Not that it was necessarily a good thing. She was his friend, he shouldn't be wishing for something like this to happen to her. Draco was his friend too. They were too young, certainly not ready for a baby. At the same time, a pregnancy might mean the end of whatever new feelings Draco and Ginny had started to develop for one another.

"Yeah, she is," Ginny said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Wow," Blaise said. What else could he say? A few things came to mind, so he opened his mouth but shut it again when a few seconds passed and no sound came out. He wanted to say something about Draco and Hermione being soul mates, how good it was they were having a child together or something along those lines. Something to remind her that Draco belonged with Hermione.

And she belonged with him.

"Yeah," Ginny sighed after a few moments.

"Do you know what they're going to do?" Blaise asked awkwardly. It wasn't as if pregnancies were hard to take care of. Abortions were a quick and easy process. They were Gryffindors though so they probably didn't believe in things like that. They were too 'noble', weren't they? Adoption was another choice. Or they could get married. _That_ seemed the sort of thing the Malfoy's might promote if Hermione wasn't a Muggle-born.

"No idea really. I haven't been able to talk to either of them since they found out," Ginny replied. "Hermione's been asleep every time I go to visit and Draco…I can never really find him."

Blaise, himself, hadn't seen much of Draco, and they had most of the same classes as well as b_eing_ in the same house. He couldn't blame the boy for taking it badly. How would Blaise handle it if he had gotten someone pregnant? Probably not very well.

"You like him, don't you?" Blaise asked. It was a hard question to force out. He wasn't even sure why he had actually voiced the thought. There was no doubt in his mind that the answer was not going to be something he wanted to hear.

Ginny was taken aback by the question. She just looked at him calculatingly for a long minute then glanced back out across the pitch. "What makes you say that?"

"The way you two have been all over each other lately," he replied honestly, no trace of bitterness in his tone. That was something to be proud of considering how resentful he had felt towards the both of them the past several days. While hopeful that things would never go farther than they had already between his best friend and his soul mate, he was starting to resign himself to the fact that there was definitely something between Draco and Ginny.

"We have not!" Ginny laughed, a slightly nervous edge to the sound.

"Whatever, Ginny," Blaise said, his heart and stomach feeling as though they were slowly sinking to the ground. "Not that it matters. He's having a kid with someone else. Your _best friend_."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks," Ginny replied sharply, body stiffening beside him.

"Just do me a favor and don't do anything stupid," Blaise muttered, starting to get worked up again. He stood up then frowned down at her. "No one ever takes sides with the other woman."

"What?" Ginny snapped, standing up as he started to walk off. "They're not even together! I would never do that to Hermione!"

Blaise ignored her and continued to walk. He thought he was getting better. For a few minutes, he had been able to calmly deal with the situation, even if it did bother him. But that could only keep up for so long. His anger wasn't as strong as it had been, but his agitation was gradually getting there. Once he hit the bottom of the stairs, he turned and kicked the nearest beam that held the stands up before marching back towards the castle.

* * *

><p>Two hours after the disastrous Quidditch practice found Harry Potter roaming the library with Astoria. They had their first tutoring session the day before so, now that they both knew what trouble the other was having, they were better able to find ways of teaching the other. Although Harry didn't really need much to help Astoria. He was under the distinct impression that she didn't actually need help in Defense Against the Dark Arts. She seemed to be fine performing the spells he instructed sometimes, while other times she made very simple, obvious mistakes. Most of the mistakes she made dealt with wand movement and no amount of <em>telling<em> her fixed anything. More times than not, Harry had to walk over to her, stand behind her, take her arms, and move them for her to show her how to do it properly. He had been a bit annoyed at first by the realization but now he was having fun with it. He _did_ need a Potions tutor, as Astoria was providing, and he rather enjoyed the fact that she liked him so much. Having someone interested in him was better than worrying about the Snape situation so much. Maybe Harry could like her too. He was actually wishing he would become interested in her. Life would be a lot less complicated if he actually had someone he could care about. Astoria, at least, didn't seem like so many other girls who liked him just because he was the Boy Who Lived. From what he had seen so far, she just liked him the way any girl might like any guy.

He could be wrong but as she hadn't asked for an autograph, not dragging him around to show off to her friends, wasn't trying to pose for pictures, sell their love story to the _Daily Prophet_, or fawn over his heroism, he figured it was a safe assumption to make.

"I know it's here somewhere," Astoria was murmuring. "There was this book I found third year that helped me loads! I kept it with me by my textbook and everything started making more sense."

"Is it _Potions for Dummies_?" Harry asked, amused.

"What? Umm…No. I don't think they'd go around calling people dumb. Well, that's not true. My mother has a book called _The Cooking Guide for Incredibly Stupid People Who Have No Natural Talents or Common Sense_. I think she likes it because, underneath the title, it says _I Bet You're Really Pretty_. I don't think she understood that all of the books said that," Astoria said.

"Merlin. Really?" Harry laughed. It seemed like such a blunt, unflattering title for a book but Harry had come to appreciate these sorts of things. He also had to make a mental note that Astoria was a pureblood whose parents were very serious about blood purity. She probably wouldn't know much about the Muggle world, especially the _For Dummies_ books.

"Mhm. She still can't cook, though," Astoria sighed. "She's very lucky she's beautiful."

Harry smiled and shook his head, following Astoria down another aisle. Harry curiously glanced over a few book titles while Astoria looked. His eyes were drawn to a familiar, faded spine that read _Magical Bonds: Past, Present, and Future_. Odd. Harry had glanced through the book a bit that summer. It didn't seem the sort that belonged outside of the Restricted Section. It was too tempting, so Harry reached out and took it. It wouldn't hurt to read up some more on the Soul Bond, would it? Even though he was sure Hermione had the entire chapter, if not the whole book, memorized. She had even started compiling a list of editions she could have added to the book one day, starting in notes, then turning them into long paragraphs that would fit in easily with the rest of the text.

It also seemed like an interesting read. Dumbledore had mentioned that the bond Voldemort shared with his Death Eaters was in the book. The first portion of the tome, the part the Soul Bonds were in, was the _Past_ section. They included bonds that were outdated, most of them currently illegal, while the others were viewed as useless compared to more modern bonds with more useful effects. The second half involved bonds that were currently in use or recently invented and was entitled _Present_. The third part, _Future_, consisted of only two chapters dedicated to discussing theories on what sorts of bonds might be created in the future, which bonds would likely have updated versions, and the ones that were in danger of becoming outlawed. Harry wanted to open it right now to have a look through it but it was so heavy that just opening it in his arms and carrying it around while he read would not be possible.

"What's that?" Astoria asked curiously, peeking over at him.

"Err…Nothing," Harry said.

"Sure looks like it," Astoria teased. "I thought we were studying Potions, Harry. Unless that's for me. Merlin, say it's not!"

"It's not," Harry laughed. "Just something I feel like reading."

Astoria wrinkled her nose. Harry thought she was adorable. "I thought reading ridiculously gigantic books was Granger's job!"

"It is, mostly. It's just…there's something in it," Harry said awkwardly. He really didn't want to have to explain _that_ to Astoria.

He might not have a choice though, he couldn't help but think as he saw his sister skipping over to them. Despite Grace's wide smile, the mischief that was normally present in her hazel eyes had been replaced by irritation and determination. Harry already knew what she intended to do and his stomach sank at the thought. Did they really have to do this today? Couldn't Grace corner Astoria on her own or something?

"Hi, Harry! Hi, Astoria!" Grace said brightly.

Astoria looked at Grace in confusion. "Um. Hello. Grace, is it?"

"Yes, Harry's sister," Grace replied.

"Right," Astoria said. "Well, we were trying to study, so…"

"You can study later," Grace assured her. "Harry and I have something to talk to you about."

"No, we don't," Harry said wearily.

"_Yes_, we do," Grace said firmly. "You even have the book and everything."

"What book? What's this about?" Astoria asked.

"If you're going to do this, Grace, you can do it by yourself. I don't want to be part of it," Harry said irritably, shoving the book into his sister's arms.

"You just want to leave so you can go and shag S…" Grace cut herself seeing the dangerous look Harry was giving her. She gasped, looking immediately embarrassed and apologetic. "Sorry. Sorry, sorry, I really am, Harry!"

"Sure you are," Harry growled through gritted teeth.

"Sh…Shagging?" Astoria whispered, face now incredibly pale.

"Forget I said anything," Grace said quickly. "Come _on_, Harry! You don't have detention with Snape until later, anyway. Please?"

"After what you…" Harry began.

"I know, I know! I said I was sorry. I really, really am," Grace said. "But c'mon, Harry! You should know!"

"I don't know."

"Don't know _what_?" Astoria asked loudly.

"Shhh!" Madam Pince hissed from elsewhere in the library.

"You're too young to do this anyway. You're _both_ too young," Harry reminded her.

"But she at least deserves to know!" Grace argued.

"No, she doesn't! Do you have any idea how much _this_ complicates everything?" Harry hissed.

"Yeah. I see it everywhere. But it's been alright for Mum and Dad! And Mr. and Mrs. Weasley!"

"Yes, but they're already married and in love!"

"I'm sure you'll fall in love with S…One day!"

"Have you gone _mad_?"

"Possibly. What's your point?"

"This is a bad idea!

"No it's not!"

"I'm not going to be a part of this? If you want to make people think you're crazy, that's your business, but I'm not going to be involved."

"Remember that thing I told you I'd tell our parents?"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Yes, I would! I need your help!"

Harry sighed heavily then reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Fine. But I hope you know that I really hate you."

Grace beamed. "I love you too, Harry!"

Astoria just stared at them.

Moodily, Harry jerked his head in the direction of nearby tables then the three walked out of the aisle and sat in the nearest chairs. Harry set down the book then flipped it open to chapter seven. Even with Grace's pleading eyes, Harry made her start the conversation. For the next fifteen minutes, the two whispered explanations to Astoria. They left out the part about Grace being her soul mate for now. When they were done, Astoria didn't look all that surprised.

"That makes sense because of some things I heard my family saying before school started back," she muttered. "So Daphne and Charles are soul mates?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Goodness," Astoria said, sinking back into her chair. "When they were saying bonding I kept thinking they were getting married. Might as well though, if they're soul mates."

Harry groaned and dropped his head to the table while Grace giggled.

"What?" Astoria asked, surprised.

"Don't ask," Harry said, glaring at Grace before she could answer.

"Well, I'd like to find my soul mate," Astoria said with a dreamy smile, eyeing Harry a bit more than the Potter siblings were comfortable with.

"Well. You have!" Grace said chirpily.

"I have?"

"Mhm! Me," Grace said with a smile.

The blond just stared at her for a few seconds then laughed.

"She's not joking," Harry said, sitting back up then straightening his glasses. "Unless she faked the results. Knowing Grace, I can't make any promises."

"Hey now! It's real!" Grace huffed. She pulled the parchment out of her robes and handed it to Astoria. She snatched it out of Grace's hands, eyes flickering over the words several times as though she didn't think she was reading it correctly.

"How do you know my middle name?" Astoria asked quietly, staring down at the parchment.

"Looking at this paper," Grace said.

Astoria threw the parchment back at Grace. "That's not funny."

"It's not a joke!" Grace tried to assure her, looking to Harry for help.

"I didn't have anything to do with this," Harry said, standing up. "Soul mates are real. Soul Bonding is real. Whether or not you want to think she's your soul mate is up to you."

"Harry!" Grace cried.

"Stop it, Grace! Even I don't know if you're serious or not! I'm not going to sit here and lie to Astoria since we're actually becoming friends. I'm not going to let you bugger that up. It's your own bloody fault that no one believes a damn thing you say."

With that being said, Harry stood up then stormed out of the library, Madam Pince yelling after him not to make so much racket. The book lay forgotten on the table, Astoria staring at it suspiciously.

"I'm not lying to you. Please believe me," Grace said. "I don't have a reason to mess around with you!"

"I…I need time to think about this," Astoria said. She took the bond book and left Grace at the table to go check it out. Grace stared gloomily after her.

* * *

><p>For the few hours that followed leaving Grace and Astoria in the library, Harry spent time with Hermione. She had been holed up in her dorm when Harry got in but he asked Lavender to go fetch her for him. There was nothing wrong with her, per se, as Hermione had earlier rid herself of all traces of her crying episode. There was an air about her that was so very sad that Harry could feel it and he wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms then make her feel better. Instead, he brought her to the boy's dorm where they hid in his bed with their homework. Harry read Hermione's copy of <em>Magical Bonds<em> while she finished an essay in Ancient Runes then moved on to Arithmancy work. When she finished, Harry asked to see the notes she had written on the subject of Soul Bonds. Hermione enthusiastically pulled the folded up notes from the back of the book and went over them with him.

Harry knew she was pregnant. He also knew she would talk about it when she wanted to. With the way things were going lately, it seemed they were both in need of the distraction. Seamus and Dean came in at one point to tease them about what they were doing behind closed curtains and threatening to tell Ron, which only worked to put Hermione in a worse mood. They didn't leave though. Neither of them was very willing to deal with other people at the moment. Only when it was time for dinner did they emerge. For once, Hermione didn't immediately seek out Ginny and, instead, stayed by Harry, who in turn, avoided sitting by Ron with an apologetic smile. They sat with Neville, who was always good about leaving people alone. He didn't pick on them for hiding in bed all day or demand answers about why they weren't as chipper as everyone else on the weekend.

He was reluctant to leave Hermione, because of the state she was in, but she seemed fine with Neville. There was a detention he had to serve. Even if they weren't having sex, Snape was still giving him detentions. Dumbledore wanted them to meet frequently, though they never did what the headmaster wanted them to do. Snape bullied him, tried to pressure him into sex then ended up making him do lines or clean cauldrons when he refused to give in.

Harry wasn't sure how long he could keep it up though. It had only been a few days but he could already feel his magic becoming erratic. It hadn't yet reached the point it had been but he knew it was only a matter of time. Neither of them could really afford to get to that place. Until it happened, though, Harry was sticking by his promise. If Snape couldn't let Harry fuck him, why should Harry do the same? It wasn't fair, especially the way Snape treated him. It was degrading. Never in his life could Harry remember feeling so low about himself and that included the few years he spent with the Dursleys! He was better than that, deserved better than that and wasn't going to put up with shite from Snape if he could help it!

When he entered the man's office, Snape only sneered at him so he sighed heavily. As he neared the man's desk, he almost didn't stop. He wanted to walk right around, climb into the man's lap, and disappear inside of him. The bond was acting up again. In a panic, Harry grabbed his left wrist to make sure the band was still there, relaxing when he felt it against his fingers. He would never survive this without it. If they wouldn't willingly have sex, the bond would make them. Or try to. The band didn't diminish the effects of the bond . It didn't drive away the insane need he felt to have the man. There was nothing more embarrassing than the thoughts that would play through his mind, how willing he would be to strip, rip off Snape's clothes, and ride the man into ecstasy. He would gladly bend over, prepare himself, spread open wide, and beg the man to fuck him silly. His cock began to stir at the mental images that began to play.

They were both in for a long night. It was starting to get to the point where Harry wanted nothing more than to take off that band and get rid of it completely. In these detentions, it was almost easy to forget why he had made his demands in the first place. He wanted and needed Snape so much it hurt. It was to the point of being physically impossible to not plead with the man to use him any way he liked.

"What will I be doing today, sir?" Harry asked.

Severus stood up then approached his student, like a predator would his prey. Before Harry stepped in, Severus had been very irritated with the boy's stubbornness and the weakness of their bond. He was determined to make the boy see reason, to _make_ him give in. The moment he laid eyes on Harry though, the need to possess him had less to do with his anger and more to do with the raw _yearning_ he had for the boy. Every inch of his body was overcome by some powerful force that screamed at him to hold the boy close, to touch him, bury himself inside of the other as completely as he could, hold his soul mate as close to himself as was physically possible.

That stupid band got in the way. Severus got as close to Harry as he could before he felt the magic in the band stopping him, pressing him back a few steps. Harry just stared at him, that powerful longing he felt mirrored back to him in those bottle green eyes. His own gaze was drawn down to the boy's throat as he swallowed hard then down to arms that were pressed tightly against his sides, fists clenched so firmly his knuckles were turning white.

He smirked then walked a few steps to the side, removing his wand then put up the usual locking and silencing charms, should the boy change his mind. "You have the choice between bending over my desk or scrubbing this entire floor until it is spotless."

Something felt off. Harry could feel it, too. "I'll…I'll clean the room, thanks," Harry managed to say, putting the feeling aside as paranoia.

Severus furrowed his brows then turned to his student. "Well?"

"Well, what?" Harry asked. "I need the supplies."

While Harry could hear himself speak, Severus could not. He watched the boy's mouth move in alarm. He couldn't hear anything. The potions master gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to glower at his wand. Severus would not overreact. Harry would _not_ know that the bond was already failing him this way. The Silencing charm he had used at least had similar effects to the one he had been hoping for but the severity of the change let him know they weren't far off from the point they had been in before.

Taking Harry's answer to assume he had chosen cleaning over fixing the damnable bond, Severus sneered. "I'm afraid today, Potter, you will have to make due with whatever you can find. If you insist upon being obstinate, you'll suffer the consequences."

"Whatever," he saw the boy mouth. Harry grumpily set about looking around the room for something he could use as makeshift cleaning supplies while Severus calmly walked back to his desk to think of a way to undo this particular spell. He had done this to himself. Even if he found a counter, who was to say it would even work? As long as he could get through this detention without embarrassing himself, he would go to someone for help. Perhaps Septima. Severus knew he could trust her to do so without asking many questions and would not go running to Dumbledore with this. The last thing Severus needed was another lecture from the headmaster about making this bond work.

While Severus attempted to find ways of undoing the damage he had done, Harry tried to sneak a way of Transfiguring broken quills into proper cleaning supplies before Snape demanded his wand. He knew he wasn't great at Transfiguration but, surely, he could do better than turning them into buttons that sprouted feathers and legs. The buttons ran around the floor bumping into one another and Harry sighed, putting his wand away then settling for using a rag and soapy water. He attempted to get away with magically cleaning the floor when Snape wasn't paying attention but that didn't go so well either. It only made the floor a little wet. At least having a little water on the floor was getting him _somewhere_.

The detention was long and mostly quiet. Severus attempted to grade papers after giving up on trying to fix himself. Harry did his best to clean the floor with what he had, having to remove his robes and shirt to use his under shirt as a rag to clean with since Snape was being a useless arse. They sneaked peeks at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking, quickly looking away if their eyes ever met.

"Are you sure you don't want to change your mind, Potter?" Severus asked with a smirk the first time this happened.

"I'd rather do this to the entire castle than ever have sex with you again," Harry lied.

"Pity," Severus drawled.

The bond was hard to fight against but they both managed. The lust inspired by the bond was so frustrating both were tempted to see if they could get away with getting themselves off without the other noticing. They never did. After a few hours, Severus snapped at Harry to leave, which he did gladly.

When they were apart, it wasn't their horniness that plagued their minds. Rather, it was the knowledge that the bond was spiraling out of control faster than it had before. They both knew they were going to have to give in soon, though neither really wanted to just yet. It was only a matter of who was going to break first.

And one of them was going to have to do it soon.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter is more of a set up for the next, but I still hope you enjoyed it!

Okay so since I got over 30 reviews the chapter before last, my new goal is 40! And I'm pretty sure if I managed that I should hit two goals in one, cause that would put me at 400! I know it's asking for a lot, but it would still be pretty cool to try! Lol. So if you haven't reviewed before, I beg of you, please do so now! And to all of you who have been reviewing, keep up the good work! I really, really love seeing everyone's comments, no matter how simple or small, large and detailed they are!

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Huge thanks to my amazing beta, Dani!


	26. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE**

* * *

><p><em>Dear Neville,<em>

_Making friends with Slytherins isn't a bad thing, no matter what anyone else says. I don't remember anything about Daphne Greengrass but, from what you said, she sounds very sweet so far. The fact that Ginny and Hermione can be friends with people like Draco and Blaise as well is amazing so it really does sound like some progress is being made with inter-house relationships. Hopefully, it can encourage more friendliness between the houses. I know the Slytherins have a bad reputation but, the way things are going, maybe it doesn't have to stay that way._

_My parents haven't really budged on the Soul Bond. My mother won't even talk about it. Father keeps apologizing but he feels it would be disrespectful to my mother to go behind her back to do something that would hurt her feelings. I can understand that somewhat, I think, but I don't know that either of them realize how important this is. I hate having to report that. But I do have some good news. Lily Potter and Mary Macdonald came by the other day and Mary agreed to perform the bond with your father! Penelope Clearwater and I helped them perform it. It's only been a few days so we haven't really seen much of a difference but Mary stops by at least a little while every day. I really hope things can work out but keep in mind there are no guarantees. I wouldn't want you to be disappointed if nothing happens._

_After I'm done writing you, I'll have to write a letter to Headmaster Dumbledore. We haven't seen each other since the holidays ended and I know we probably need to work on our bond. He mentioned allowing soul mates access to Hogwarts and use of empty classrooms to test things out. I'm not really sure what we're supposed to be doing, honestly, but I know we're supposed to be doing __something__. Maybe you can figure it out. Your friends have been meeting with theirs, right? _

_I hope you did well on that Transfiguration exam! Good luck in Potions._

_Sincerely,_

_Cedric_

Neville read the letter for the umpteenth time but still drew a blank as to what he should put in the reply. He had been so happy to receive the letter from Cedric, just like he always was whenever he heard from his soul mate. And, just like those other times, it was going to take him a long time to think of a reply and never once gather the courage to just say what he really wanted to.

He really should have been working on his homework. After a long day of classes, he still had a lot to get done but it was hard to concentrate on Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures when he was so anxious over the idea of asking Cedric out. He sat in the Gryffindor common room on the floor by the fireplace, the letter still clutched in his hands while he stared down at the blank parchment that was waiting for him. He hadn't even managed to write the _Dear Cedric_ yet. Honestly, he was a bit afraid to, considering the last time he had tried writing Cedric in any sort of public place. Blaise had read over his shoulder and started picking on him. Contrary to popular belief, Gryffindors weren't always the nicest people around and Neville had seen firsthand how some of his house mates could bully others.

"Hey, Nev! How's it going?" Ginny Weasley asked, sitting down beside him on the floor.

"It's alright," Neville sighed. "Trying to write Cedric back."

"Oh. Should I leave you alone?"

"Nah, that's fine. I haven't been able to figure out what to say."

"Oh," Ginny said with a frown. "Are you trying to tell him you like him or something?"

"I was going to ask him to Hogsmeade the first weekend we have," Neville admitted. "I just don't know if I should or not."

"You could at least give it a try," Ginny encouraged with a grin. "He's too cute to just let him go, Nev!"

"But what if he says no?"

"Then he says no! You can still be friends, no harm done," Ginny said. "Even if it's terrifying, just act brave and confident about the whole thing. It's, honestly, less embarrassing if you don't _act_ embarrassed. As long as you don't make it seem like as big a deal as it is."

"That's bloody confusing. I don't know how I'm supposed to do that," Neville laughed. "I don't sound like a girl, do I?"

"Neville!" Ginny shrieked and slapped his arm. "That's mean. Not all girls are like that. And, no, you don't. Ron was the same way when he wanted to ask Hermione out. He looked like he was going to be sick all over her when he finally got the guts to do it."

"I remember that," Neville said with a smile. "This is just so hard."

"It's always hard admitting you like someone," Ginny said.

"Know from experience, do you?" Neville teased lightly. He, along with several of her other friends, were well aware of Ginny's feelings for Draco, whether she was aware of them herself or not.

"I might," she said, leaning over to bump against him.

"So it's true, Neville?" interrupted the voice of Lavender Brown. "You're really…_like that_?"

Ginny scowled at Lavender who was sitting on a nearby couch with Parvati. Neville only ducked his head, face heating up while his heart began to pound faster in his chest. "Like _what_ exactly, Lavender?"

"You know!" Lavender said. She then looked around dramatically, leaned forward, and whispered, "Gay!"

"Is there a problem with that?" Ginny asked.

Lavender looked a bit concerned and shared a glance with Parvati. "Only that it's not very normal, is it?"

"What's so great about being 'normal' anyway?" Ginny muttered. "There's nothing wrong with anyone who likes the same gender."

"Alright. I wasn't trying to be mean or anything," Lavender said appealingly. "I was only wondering."

"Of course you were," Ginny said stiffly, just watching furiously as Lavender and Parvati leaned in to begin whispering to one another. "Don't listen to them. They're dense."

"I know," Neville said quietly. "Doesn't mean it's not what everyone will think."

"Well then _everyone_ is dense," Ginny said. "Don't be ashamed of who you are, Neville. There's nothing wrong with it. And Cedric's a great guy."

"He is," Neville said, trying to fight off a smile. Ginny grinned when she saw it. "And I'm not ashamed. I don't want to shout it from the rooftops. I don't want to get a lot of attention for it. But I'm not going to hide who I am. I prefer guys and I have feelings for Cedric Diggory."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Ginny asked with a smile. "Now, ask him out!"

"I don't know how!"

"It's not that hard. 'Cedric, will you go to Hogsmeade with me?'"

"Well I know that, but…Well, I don't really know, do I?" Neville muttered. "I don't want to look like an idiot."

"You won't. You'll look like a sweetheart," Ginny promised. "Just nice and simple. Ask him to meet you in Hogsmeade. If he makes any awkward comments about whether or not it's a date, just figure out what you think he's leaning towards and go with that. It's not so bad. Scary as hell, yes, but not as bad as we like to think it is."

"I…I guess you might be right," Neville said, hesitantly picking up his quill. Ginny smiled encouragingly and scooted closer, glaring at the gossip mongers while whispering words of support to Neville while he set about his task.

* * *

><p>While most of her classmates were relaxing in the common room after their classes were finished, Hermione Granger was in the library. There was nothing new about that, though the books and papers she had spread out had more to do with her personal life than academic achievement this time. <em>Magical Bonds<em> was open in the middle of the table, surrounded by the notes she had taken, as well as newspaper articles with other bits of information she had found about the other known soul mates and Soul Bonds in history. Closer to where she sat were all of her pregnancy related books. _One Million Names: the Guide to Choosing the Perfect Name for Your Young Witch or Wizard_ was bookmarked to the section on boy names on the far corner of the table. Her glimpse through the book hadn't lasted long, as the very idea of naming her son was daunting and overwhelming. Currently, her face was buried in her copy of _A Witch's Guide: What to Expect When You're Expecting _with _Teen Parenthood_ opened right beside it, something that received the occasional glance.

It was hard for her to _really_ get a good look at her books anywhere else. Even the library was an iffy choice. The best bit of privacy she had was in bed but it was hard to really spread everything out and feel organized there. Even with ensuring that no one could get through her curtains, the other girls still liked to bug her if she stayed hidden there for too long. Besides, the library wasn't so bad. With Madam Pince around, no one exactly came to the library for a hangout, especially at this time of day most people were either choosing to do their homework in their common rooms or choosing not to do it at all. To be on the safe side, she had chosen her usual table in the very back of the library. She would easily know if someone was approaching and could make quick work of hiding what she was looking at.

_Chapter 15: Protection and Concealment_.

It seemed a promising guide for paranoid mothers, something she was looking closely into. They were in the middle of a war, after all, so making sure that she and her baby would remain safe was important. Along with the usual facts, suggestions, and guidelines, they had the story of the Hildegarde Hoffmann, who had become pregnant during an affair with her sister Guiomar's husband. Hildegarde confessed to her sister she had been unfaithful without admitting the identity of her lover. Together, they hid Hildegarde's pregnancy and she managed to get through nine months of it then gave birth with no one knowing. Once the child was born, they transfigured him into a puppy that she claimed to have found. When her husband was away at work, Hildegarde would Transfigure her son back into a human then back into a dog whenever he came home. Hildegarde went on to produce six more children this way and was onto her eighth child before people finally found out, which happened when her magic started weakening and ruining her glamours. Her furious husband tried to hurt her but the protection charms she had used saved her unborn child from whatever harm he had intended.

There was something about the story that was very strange to Hermione and she reread it five times before finally figuring it out. The name was familiar! Hildegarde Hoffman. Hermione stood up and reached across the table to grab one of the stacks of paper that included information about past soul mates and Soul Bonds. She grinned when she located the familiar name. Hildegarde Hoffman was married to Maynard Hoffman. Shortly after her marriage Hildegarde had discovered that her soul mate was her sister's husband, Dedrich Konig. They began an affair and performed the Soul Bond shortly thereafter. Together, Hildegarde and Dedrich had nineteen children. When Maynard tried to harm his wife, Dedrich killed both him then his own wife to make room for his soul mate and mother of his children. It wasn't exactly a happy story but it did give some insight into things. What really caught her attention the most was the mentioning of Hildegarde's weakened magical state causing her glamours to drop. Hermione could imagine having to carry on such an illicit affair for so long, producing children you could never admit to having, would be hard on any relationship. Hildegarde and Dedrich's relationship had probably been deteriorating at the time, thus causing the bond and their magic to fail them. It put more evidence towards the fact that soul mates needed to carry on a stable relationship with one another for the bond to work, explaining why Harry and Snape had been having problems with their bond.

"Do you always have to look so happy when you're studying?" said a familiar voice, tone both teasing and nervous.

Hermione was still reading and it took a moment to register that someone had spoken. She looked up to see Ron standing in front of her table uncomfortably. Her glee over such a connection faded at the sight of her ex boyfriend and she sat up straight in her chair. "I don't see how it's affecting you, Ronald."

"It's not. I was just trying to be friendly, sheesh," Ron muttered, shaking his head.

"Won't your wife be upset?" Hermione asked coolly, closing her books.

"I don't see why it should matter to her," Ron said, kicking the leg of the table.

"Well, I'm sure it does, Ronald. Now if you don't want to ruin your marriage the same way…"

"Hey, what's this," Ron said, reaching for the baby name book. Hermione glared irritably at him then glanced down at the table.

"Shite," Hermione hissed in a panic, snatching the book from Ron and quickly using her wand to cause the books to fly back into her bag. She hoped he hadn't seen enough but, by the horrorstruck look in those blue eyes, Hermione had the sinking feeling that he had already noticed too much.

"You're _pregnant_?" Ron hissed.

"Of course not," Hermione sniffed.

"Then why do you have all of these baby books?" Ron demanded.

"Shhhhh!" hissed Madam Pince from nearby.

"That is none of your business, Ronald," Hermione whispered.

"It bloody well is my business!"

"How do you figure that?"

"I _knew_ it was Malfoy! I just knew it!" Ron was muttering.

"Knew _what_?"

"That git pushed you!"

"He did what?"

"When you fell! Mione, he's the one who pushed you! Don't you get it? I had a feeling he was the one behind the whole thing and it this just proves it! He was trying to get rid of you and the baby!"

"Don't be dense, Ronald! I didn't even know I was pregnant until I woke up!"

"But you _are_ pregnant!"

"I…Well, yes. Not that it should matter to you at all."

"It does! You're my friend!"

"Since when? We haven't been _friends_ since we broke up."

"Don't be that way. Just because we had a bit of a rough patch doesn't mean we stopped being friends! We've known each other for years."

"And you threw it all away because someone else was my soul mate."

"Well, you can't blame me for being upset."

"Yes, I can!"

"_Shhhhhhhhh_!"

"Calm down, Hermione, you're making Pince mad!"

"And _you're_ making _me_ mad!"

"I'm just trying to help! You're the one that got yourself knocked up by that prat."

"Stop talking about it! I don't want anyone to know!"

"You should have thought of that before you spread your legs for that Death Eater."

"RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY!"

"_Out_!" hissed a voice that was closer. Madam Pince peeked from behind a bookshelf at them, glaring. "_Get out of my library_!"

"Gladly," Hermione said stiffly, arms trembling in her anger as she grabbed her bag and stalked off. To her irritation, Ron was following her.

"You're _really_ pregnant, then?"

"Yes."

"I can't believe it!"

"I don't care."

"Guess I was right to leave you then, wasn't I? Knew this would happen!"

"Knew what exactly? Do you think I would have slept with him while we were still together?"

"Why not? You're having his baby when he's obviously all over my sister."

"This happened before…before _anything_ happened between Ginny and Draco!"

"Right," Ron snorted bitterly.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means that your _soul mate_ is an arrogant prick so that obviously can't say very many nice things about you."

"And I used to think Hannah was so nice."

"What's that mean?"

"Nothing. You're obviously too thick to get it."

"Don't even go calling me names, Hermione! You're not very smart yourself, jumping Malfoy that way!"

"You don't even _know_ what happened between Draco and me!"

"I have a pretty good guess."

"Well, seeing where that comes from, I highly doubt it's a _good_ guess."

"You know what? Fuck you, Hermione. I don't know why I even bothered!"

Having already been an emotional state, the constant pushing of her buttons by Ron was too much. Enough was enough. Spinning around, Hermione punched Ron as hard as she could in the face. Ron yelled out in pain and stumbled back several steps. Tears blurred her vision as she panted, struggling to regain control of herself and retain some amount of dignity. Ron was hot headed. She had always known that. He could be a big prat when he wanted to be. But this was the last thing she needed right now. What had she ever seen in him? And why did he still bother her so much?

"Don't bother anymore then, Ronald Weasley! I never asked you to. I never wanted any of this!" she shouted at him, voice cracking under the strain of her emotions and echoing off the stone walls. "Stay away from me or I swear to Merlin you'll regret it!"

"Lost your bloody mind!" Ron sputtered, clutching his bleeding nose.

Hermione said nothing to him. It was easy to see that she was fuming as she turned away and marched down the corridor, holding her bag tightly to her chest, resisting the urge to reach into her pocket for her wand. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest, mind racing so fast she hardly even knew what she was thinking about. There was so much anger inside of her and she didn't know what to do about it! Hitting Ron wasn't enough. She wanted to hit a wall! She wanted to hurt someone or something. Someone needed to be punished. _Someone_ had to be made to suffer the way she was! It just hurt so _much_.

Why did it feel like everything was falling apart?

Hardly even aware of what she was doing, Hermione threw her bag into the nearest lavatory and slammed the door behind her. Pressing her back against the wall, she slid down, jaw trembling horribly as the tears began leaking out of the corners of her eyes.

"Oooh!" exclaimed an all too familiar voice. Hermione glared up as Myrtle flew overhead. "Having boy troubles?"

"Go away, Myrtle," Hermione said miserably.

"There's no be to be rude. You're the one who came into _my_ restroom!" Myrtle huffed.

"I don't have anywhere else to go!" Hermione snapped, letting out a small sob. She gasped and tried to suck in deep breaths to hold the rest of them in. Her chest was so tight it hurt. The force of trying to hold back the crying was too much. "Just leave me alone!" she snapped, another sob escaping. "_Please_! I just want to be alone!"

"If you insist," Myrtle sighed dramatically. "If you decide to join me, I do hope you'll be a bit nicer if you expect to share this loo."

Join her? How many people came into this place contemplating suicide? Hermione covered her mouth and let out a hysterical laugh that turned into another sob. She lowered her head, sliding her hand up to cover her wet eyes, raising her other hand to join it in covering her face. She drew her legs up, curling into herself as she let it all out.

* * *

><p>Blaise was just waiting for the right opportunity. He had set it in his mind just yesterday that he was going to have to do this eventually. Watching Draco go up to what he knew would be an empty dormitory, Blaise seized his chance. He had been working on Ancient Runes by the fireplace since coming back from class, half keeping an eye on Draco. The blond had been spending a good deal of time talking to the Greengrass sisters, turning pink every time Theodore Nott and his ex cronies threw jibes at him. Blaise half expected Draco to sneak out to go meet Ginny or Hermione. He was half sure he would have followed him if he had.<p>

This was better.

With Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle downstairs, they were perfectly alone, making it the perfect opportunity for this little discussion. His friend was digging through his trunk, pulling out the set of silver robes he used for Quidditch practice.

"Ginny invited you to the post-dinner Quidditch game, then?" Blaise asked quietly.

Draco glanced up, startled to find that he wasn't as alone as he had thought. "You're going?"

"Sounds like it, doesn't it?" Blaise said, stepping further into the room and sitting on the edge of his own bed, watching as Draco began digging through his trunk again.

"I didn't know you played," Draco said. The tightness of his voice told Blaise just how bothered Draco was by the news.

"I'm not half bad," Blaise defended. "Daphne, Longbottom, and Thomas are going to be there too."

"Are they?" Draco said.

"Mhm," Blaise replied. He was very determined to do this, but he was a bit anxious now that he was faced with the opportunity to do so. Excitement pulsed through him, though it wasn't the happy sort. He was half expecting, half hoping for a fight. There was no telling how Draco would react, but he knew it would be good. "I heard Hermione's pregnant."

Draco didn't speak for a few minutes as he pulled out his boots, gloves, and other things he might need for Quidditch practice. The way he chose the items, it was almost as though he was picking an outfit for a date. Blaise's dark eyes watched Draco carefully. He noted how pale Draco had become, the slight twitching of his eyes, the tremble in his hands. Finally, he looked down at the items he had spread out on his bed and spoke. "Yes. She is."

"She says it's a boy."

"I know. I am the…"

"Father," Blaise supplied when Draco didn't finish the sentence.

Draco took a shuddering breath. "Yeah."

"She also told me you offered to marry her."

"Seemed like the right thing to do."

"But you haven't pushed the subject."

"She said no!"

"I'm aware. But if it's the right thing to do, why not try to convince her."

"She's a Gryffindor. You know how they are."

"That. Or you just offered to be nice. In all reality, you're glad she said no. Because you want Ginny."

Draco didn't move. He didn't even seem to be breathing or thinking. Blaise wanted to shout at him to say something. He wanted a reaction. Wanted a fight. He could wait, though, if that's what it took. No matter what he wanted, Blaise had learned how to practice patience. It was certainly a more effective method than blowing up and demanding answers.

"I don't…Ginny and I are just friends."

"Maybe. But you want more," Blaise said.

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to."

"Just drop it, Blaise."

"No. I don't think so. The whole reason you like Ginny to begin with is because you're trying so hard to run away from your feelings for Hermione," Blaise said.

"I don't have _feelings_ for either of them!" Draco spat.

"Good. So you'll lay off Ginny then?"

"I didn't 'lay' anything _on_ her to begin with," Draco muttered.

"Don't play dumb. You two have been getting closer and closer since the term started," Blaise growled. "You're always so close, always…"

"We're _friends_!" Draco interrupted.

"Then it better stay that way," Blaise said.

"What the hell, Blaise?" Draco snapped. "Even if I was interested in Ginny, which I'm not, you can't stop me from doing anything."

"She's _my_ soul mate," Blaise said.

"So what? Potter and Snape are bloody soul mates! You don't see them doing anything!" Draco snapped then cringed. Blaise didn't blame him. The very thought of anything happening between Potter and Snape was mildly disturbing. "Anyway…Soul mates…Well…It just doesn't matter, does it? '_Having a soul mate does not have to dictate your life. If one were to find their soul mate, they would not be required to marry this person. They would not have to get to know them or spend any time with them at all. Popular misconceptions are that soul mates must marry or maintain a strong relationship throughout their lives, have intercourse, and will die without said person. Having a soul mate does not keep you from loving or having sex with someone else. Not all soul mates are meant for romantic relationships, though most known accounts have_'."

"Bloody hell, Draco, calm down! Shite. No wonder you and Hermione are soul mates. I thought she was the only one who could recite entire passages from books off the top of her head."

"I apologize for reading up on our…condition," Draco said.

"Condition," Blaise snorted. "So, tell me, how many times did you have to read that specific chapter before you finally convinced yourself it was true?"

"What?"

"Well, you must have read it a lot to know the whole thing verbatim," Blaise said smoothly. "And if you read it that much, I'm sure the only thing you were doing was trying to convince yourself that the book was _right_, that you _don't_ have to be romantically involved with your soul mate. But guess what, Draco? It's _wrong_. That chapter was written by some bloke who didn't want to get in trouble with his wife over being soul mated to someone else!"

"What the hell do you know about it?" Draco snapped.

"A lot more than you, apparently," Blaise said. "But listen closely. Ginny belongs with me…"

"I don't think she'd appreciate hearing that," Draco snarled. "She isn't your possession."

"I said she belongs _with_ me, not _to_ me," Blaise said, flinching at the thought of Ginny thinking what Draco had assumed. That would not be pretty. "She is my soul mate and Hermione is yours. Hermione is carrying your _child_. So, whether or not you have feelings for Ginny doesn't even matter. As long as you play it smart and keep away from her. Understood?"

The blond fell silent again. His mouth moved and Draco shifted around quite a bit on his feet. He looked as though he was trying and failing to say something. After a few minutes, Draco cleared his throat and shrugged. "Whatever, Blaise."

Blaise's eyes hardened. He knew what that meant, and it was no agreement. "You're my friend, Draco, but if you cross me, you'll regret it."

"I'd like to see you try," Draco snorted.

He should kick that wanker's ass right here and now. Blaise just glared at Draco while the blond ignored him and set about putting on his practice robes. The battle seemed lost. Ginny obviously wanted Draco and he obviously wanted her. It was only a matter of time before they came to that realization for themselves. It was far from over though. Blaise was not going to back down and let Draco have her! It wasn't fair. He was only going to hurt Ginny and Hermione both. Actually, though he was reluctant to admit such a thing, Draco was well on his way to hurting more than just the two girls.

"Guess I'll see you at dinner then," Blaise said stiffly as he stood up. Only the knowledge that it would piss Ginny off if he hit Draco over this did he keep his hands to himself. There were other more Slytherin ways, of dealing with this situation.

* * *

><p>Like every other night these past few days, Harry trudged down to the dungeons directly after dinner. He still hadn't quite made up his mind about whether or not he would give in. His magic was still acting up, though Harry blamed it on the fact that he had been very sick recently whenever anyone mentioned it. The few teachers who knew about the bonds didn't seem to believe it and Dumbledore had been giving both of them strange looks lately. He knew it was only a matter of time before he confronted them about it.<p>

He didn't want to just give in though. He could always try to talk to Snape about his behavior. Not that it would work. In fact, more than likely it wasn't going to work. Snape would laugh in his face and question why he should be civil to Harry. There actually wasn't much Harry could think to do. He was desperate! Giving in too easily wasn't an option. He did have more pride than that. Snape wasn't going to win and go back to treating Harry like shite just because he could. Something had to give.

Then again, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Harry just took off his band, conveniently 'forgot' about it, and let the bond do what it would. At least he would have something else to blame and it wouldn't seem like he was actually giving in.

"What am I doing today, sir?" he asked like always.

"You should know your options by now, Potter," Snape said, standing up behind his desk.

His options. Bend over for Snape to fuck him or clean the office. The pristine office hardly looked like it needed cleaning but Snape always found something for him to do. Harry licked his lips, the answer coming out before he even had the time to think about it.

"Then you should know my answer by now," Harry said.

Snape just stared at him as Harry walked across the room to grab the cleaning supplies out of the cabinet. He could feel those dark eyes boring deeply into him while he worked, but didn't acknowledge him. If the man wanted to stare, let him stare. Harry wasn't giving in today. He wasn't ready for it.

"We have to appease the bond, Potter," Snape said.

"Then you fix it, Snape," Harry said.

"Professor Snape or sir," Snape corrected him.

"Sir," Harry said tightly.

"You can't play this game forever."

"Neither can you…professor."

His heart began to race. Snape was right. He couldn't hold off forever. Snape, though…Snape had too much pride to just give in to what Harry wanted. While he closed up the cabinet and arranged the cleaning supplies on a nearby chair, his eyes wandered down to the band around his wrist. Licking his lips, he glanced at Snape who was still watching him, an odd look on his face.

It was bad enough having so much to consider when the bond was so persistent in urging him to just give in. _"Fuck me. Please, for the love of Merlin, just stick your cock in me now,"_ Harry imagined himself saying. The words were on the tip of his tongue but he swallowed them back in a panic. He couldn't say it. Wouldn't. Snape didn't deserve the satisfaction.

"Where should I…?" Harry asked, motioning to the supplies he had pulled out.

To his confusion, Snape looked furious. Harry blinked in surprise, backing away as Snape marched over to him but Snape walked past him and muttered something to the wall. A spell? Or a password? Harry watched as a door began to appear in the wall, slowly growing and finally opening when it was done. Snape motioned for Harry to follow, so he did, uncertainly bringing the rag and potions with him. He wasn't sure what to expect but the dark gray, red, and purple furniture and cream colored carpet wasn't it. Snape just kept walking.

"You want me to clean your chambers?" Harry guessed.

"Kindly be quiet, Potter," Snape barked.

He wasn't sure if he should follow, but did anyway just in case. Snape walked right into his bedroom. Realization hit Harry as he stopped in the doorway.

"I already told you I'm not having sex with you," Harry said, fear creeping into him. He wasn't ready to face this decision, but he knew he really had no choice in the matter.

"Undress, Potter," Snape hissed angrily. He began ripping off his own robes, tossing them aside.

"No," Harry said. It didn't sound quite as determined as he wanted it to.

"I refuse to let your stubbornness get us killed," Snape growled.

"What about your stubbornness, huh?" Harry snapped defensively, his right hand inching towards his left wrist anyway. This was happening too fast. He had hoped he would at least be able to prepare himself for this. He had hoped to wait another day or two.

Snape just glared at him then threw something in his direction. Instinctively, Harry ducked out of the way, hearing glass shatter behind him. He looked behind him but didn't notice anything at first then turned back to Snape. "What the bloody hell was…"

"You were supposed to catch it, Potter," Snape said through gritted teeth. The man muttered, finished unbuttoning his shirt as he walked to his bedside table then opened it and pulled something out of it. He held the familiar phial up for Harry to see then tossed this one at him. Harry caught it. He gaped at his professor a moment, then down at the lubricant that was in his hand. For a split second, he thought Snape wanted him to prepare himself, but the realization steadily came.

"Oh," Harry said.

"Yes. Oh," Snape muttered sarcastically, shrugging out of his shirt. The man didn't look pleased in the slightest but that was predictable. What was unexpected was Snape even agreeing to this. While Harry had stood firmly by his request, he wasn't sure he ever _really_ thought he would get his way. The idea of actually _fucking_ Snape…Well, he hadn't pictured it often. The prospect was both arousing and terrifying.

"You do realize you will have to be naked in order to engage in sexual intercourse, Mr. Potter?" Snape growled.

"Err…Right. Sorry," Harry said, quickly divesting himself first of his band, then of the clothes. He worked so fast that while he got a late start on undressing, his last article of clothing hit the floor only a second after Snape's.

This was intimidating. What the hell was he even supposed to do? His fingers closed tightly around the phial, trying to get a good image in his head as to what it would be like. It was so hard imagining Snape beneath him. So _wrong_. With the man's abrasive, controlling personality it was next to impossible to imagine him taking it up the arse from anyone, especially Harry. He almost wished he hadn't demanded this in the first place.

But remembering why he had gave him some resolve. He sucked in a deep breath, gathering his confidence and courage while Snape climbed into his simple queen-sized bed then lay on his side, facing away from him. Was he just going to lay there and just expect Harry to stick it in or something? That seemed even worse somehow. Harry couldn't just do that to the man. It made him think too much of how worthless he felt the last time he'd had sex with Snape. No matter how much of an arsehole Snape was, he didn't wish that on him. At least not entirely. Some small, vengeful, sadistic side of Harry wanted him to suffer at least a little from this for what he had put him through. But Harry wasn't going to intentionally make him pay.

Harry walked slowly across the room, still trying to gather his wits and his strength. When he felt calm enough, he climbed onto bed beside Snape, reached out, and rolled the man onto his back. Black eyes glared at him, thin lips parted to spit out some virulent insult or mordant remark that was sure to make Harry want to strangle him instead of fuck him. The way Snape was looking, it seemed that the potions master might have preferred the very same thing. Before the man was given the chance to inspire any more loathing in his student, Harry leaned in to kiss him. Snape froze. It could have been worse. The man could have shoved him away or something, so Harry continued to kiss him, hesitantly reaching out his hand to place it on Snape's chest, sliding it down. His breath caught in his throat the lower he got, fingers brushing against the soft hair of Snape's belly. Harry swallowed hard then, tentatively, traced his tongue along his thin lips as his fingertips stroked through the wiry black curls of the man's pubic hair. Green eyes strained to look down from his position, seeing how close he was to the man's flaccid prick. Merlin this was so weird.

"Don't, Potter," Snape muttered. Harry wasn't sure why he said that but he managed to slide his tongue past those soft lips and Snape sighed in resignation. At least the professor started kissing him back somewhat as Harry's fingers glided over the silky flesh of his uninterested cock. Harry's was at least half hard. Realizing that Snape wasn't aroused at all made him feel a bit guiltier but he was determined to make it good. The only problem was that he had never really touched another bloke's prick before. At least not while sober. He thought, maybe, he had once under the influence of the bond but that was it. Harry wrapped his fingers around it, squeezing softly, then moved around to run his knuckles across it. Snape gasped softly into his mouth then reached down to grab his wrist to stop him.

"Stop," Snape commanded irritably, then pushed Harry onto his back and grabbed the phial from his hand.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Harry snapped as Snape began to pour some of the lubricant into his hands. "I thought I…Oh _Merlin_!"

Before Harry could even finish his sentence, Snape had swooped down to take his cock into his mouth. Bloody fucking hell that mouth was good! The potions master wasted no time teasing him, sucking his cock hungrily. That wicked tongue stroked the underside of his dick expertly before sucking his rapidly hardening prick completely into his mouth. While he sucked, one hand reached out to fondle his balls and Harry couldn't help but reach down to tangle his fingers in the man's greasy black hair. "Fuck! Yes!"

The blow job didn't last very long. After only a minute or two, Snape pulled his mouth away, his slick hand stroking up and down Harry's cock while running his tongue along the sac, sucking one of the testicles into his mouth. His strokes were firm and fast, leaving Harry to moan and grasp tightly at the sheets beneath him. Only a moment later, Snape pulled away and Harry whimpered at the loss. He turned to glare at the man, but it quickly turned into a look of surprise when he saw Snape get onto his hands and knees.

"Now, Potter," Snape grunted. "I already prepared myself. Just stick it in."

Never before had anyone looked so annoyed or angry when they were about to have sex. Or at least Harry didn't think so. At the moment, though, Harry was too turned on to really care. He scrambled up and made quick work of positioning himself behind Snape. This was the most surreal experience of his life but he was so horny, so eager to cum that he didn't have the control to stop to enjoy it. Like Snape always seemed to do, he reached out to part the man's arse cheeks to expose the lubed, angry pink hole. He shifted a bit on his knees to press the head of his cock against it and ended up having to use his hand to position himself right. His pulse was speeding in a manner that didn't feel at all healthy and he was sure his heart or brain would explode before this whole thing was through. Most urgently, though, his cock was throbbing with such a need that couldn't be ignored. Not when he had been wanting Snape for so long. In all reality, it had only been a few days but, to Harry, it felt like years. He pressed forward eagerly, fingers tightening around the man's soft, flat arse as the head of his cock breached the incredibly tight hole. Snape's whole body tensed up and he hissed in pain.

"Fucking…Oh God," Harry moaned, forcing himself to stop until Snape relaxed somewhat. As Snape had told him to do, the older wizard began to press back against him so Harry began to press forward again, though more slowly this time. Holy fucking hell this felt good! The slickness of the lubricant, the tightness and heat of Snape's body, were all working over his cock beautifully. He had no idea how he was supposed to last more than a few minutes, honestly, but he couldn't remember his cock ever feeling so good!

Oddly enough, as good as he was feeling there, his arse felt strangely empty, like it was jealous that Snape's was getting all of the attention. Harry could remember the slide of Snape's thick prick in and out of him, almost as if he could physically feel it now, making him shiver. That was a strange though to have with his dick up Snape's arse, so he pushed it away for the time being. "Feels so good," Harry breathed.

"Of course it does!" Snape snapped, his own voice somewhat strangled, laced with pain. Harry frowned and stilled once he was completely sheathed within the older man's body. Remembering what his teacher had done for him, he began to stroke Snape's hips and thighs to try to soothe him. While he could feel the body beneath him relax, Snape didn't sound very happy when he snarled, "Potter!"

"What?" Harry asked. Then he felt Snape's inner walls clench around him, crying out in pleasure while Snape grunted in pain, his hips jerking in response.

"Fuck me, Potter!" Snape growled, sounding more as though he wanted it over with as soon as possible than actually wanting Harry to fuck him. Harry might have been concerned if he wasn't feeling too good to notice. The younger wizard nodded jerkily, grasped Snape's hips, then began to slowly pull out. It was hard to restrain a quiet gasp as he pressed back inside. It felt so good he hardly knew what to do with himself! Harry moved slowly for a bit, afraid of hurting Snape and afraid of coming too soon. He was pretty sure he wanted this to last forever.

After a few minutes, the strain in Snape's body seemed all but gone, his hips moving lazily back to meet Harry. While the man wasn't quite letting out the moans of pleasure Harry was, he at least didn't sound like he was in pain anymore. Knowing Snape, it had probably been a long time since he had last been on the receiving end of things so Harry wanted to make it as good as possible. With that in mind, Harry uncertainly slid one hand from Snape's hip around to grasp his soft cock.

"Potter," Snape said warningly.

"Stop acting like a martyr or something. If I can enjoy it, so can you," Harry said after a bit, finding it hard to string together two words, let alone two sentences.

"I would rather this be done as soon as possible, Potter, if you don't mind," Snape said acidly.

"Fine," Harry grunted, irritation starting to worm its way into him. He was feeling too good to let something like that bother him. Putting his hand back on Snape's hip, he shifted around a bit with his cock still buried fully in the man, looking for a good position to really get into this. As he was moving, Snape let out a strange noise, hips pressing back into Harry's.

"You alright?" Harry asked in concern, pausing his movements.

There was a short pause before Snape answered. "Fine."

His voice sounded strange. Then, a suspicion forming, Harry began to wiggle his hips around again until Snape's hips jerked and that strangled sound escaped his throat again. Harry grinned victoriously. "Feel good, Professor?"

"Get on with it, Potter, we don't have all bloody day!"

"The way your detentions go, sure we do," Harry muttered. He wasn't sure how well he could find Snape's prostate doing this but he would sure as hell try. He began thrusting into Snape at a quicker pace, putting a bit more force behind his movements. When Snape didn't give any more indication that Harry had found his prize, he was disappointed but kept going. Snape wanted to get this over with, no matter how nice Harry wanted to be about it. He might as well let himself enjoy it as much as possible.

"Fuck," Harry moaned, using his grip on Snape's hips to pull the man back into him on every thrust instead of letting Snape buck into him. No wonder Snape was always trying to get into his pants. This was bloody brilliant!

Just when he started to _really_ get into it, he heard a strange sound come from Snape again. Harry wasn't sure if he should be worried or pleased with himself, so he leaned to the side a bit to get a good look at the man, his thrusts slowing down a bit. Snape had his face pressed into the mattress, his fingers clenched into the bedspread. Curiously, Harry reached around again to feel for Snape's cock, surprised to find it was now very interested indeed. He groaned, his butt cheeks clenching, as he squeezed that hot, heavy dick in his hands. There was nothing more he wanted than to feel it inside of him. Heat burned into his neck and face at that thought. As good as fucking Snape was, being fucked by him was better. Just a little bit, but something felt so much more _right_ in being shagged by the man. Merlin he missed that cock.

"Potter, I swear to Merlin if you do not remove your hand from my cock I will personally remove it and use it as a potions ingredient," the man snarled, though his voice had lost some of its deadly edge.

Harry wanted to deliver some clever remark but he found it very hard to think properly at the moment. Instead, he went back to thrusting wildly into Snape, keeping his hand on the man's prick. His movements felt a bit unsteady for a bit as he got used to having only one hand on the man's hip. His hand squeezed the cock in his hand firmly, but couldn't do much more than that for now. Multi-tasking was not easy, let alone during sex when you couldn't remember ever feeling so wonderful in your entire life. Now and then, he managed to stroke the turgid member, but would have to stop before too long to focus on moving. Snape didn't seem to mind too much. The man seemed to be struggling not to make too much noise, though muffled moans and cries of pleasure could be heard fighting their way out now and then. What couldn't be so easily stopped was the way he fervently bumped his hips back to meet Harry's every move.

It didn't take too long for Harry to feel the end drawing near. Perspiration had formed on his skin and he panted heavily in the workout he was getting. Heat coiled in his stomach, his cock seeming to fill even more as he rammed into Snape more erratically. The potions master let out a choked sound that melted into a moan of pleasure, the sound going straight to Harry's dick. That did it. His balls tightened up and his orgasm hit in hot, powerful waves that easily overtook him and Harry didn't mind in the slightest. When he finished emptying himself, he collapsed onto the man's back. Immediately, Snape rolled onto his side so that Harry was knocked off him. Harry, taking the hint, rolled onto his back, struggling to catch his breath. His heart was fighting with all of its strength to escape his chest, he swore.

That perfectly warm, sated feeling that followed sex was so perfect. Every inch of his body felt so nice and relaxed, he could have easily fallen asleep. Hearing noises from beside him, though, Harry turned to look as Snape's hand worked furiously over his still hard prick. Shite! Harry had forgotten about that. It took more energy than he liked to move, but he did so, crawling over to the man and moving his hand away. Snape tried to knock him away but Harry quickly took the man's cock into his hand and lowered his mouth over it.

As the only blowjob he had given had been under the influence of the bond, he wasn't very confident as to what to do from here. Snape had ideas as his hips thrust up, shoving his cock further into Harry's throat than he was comfortable with. The gag reflex set in and Harry choked, shooting back up so that only the head was in his mouth as he tried to catch his breath around it. When Snape reached down to take his prick back, Harry slapped his hand away and began to stroke it with one hand until he felt ready to take it back again. Having forgotten to remove his glasses, he now tossed them aside before lowering his mouth back over the thick, beautiful cock before him. If he thought about it, having Snape's prick in his mouth was very strange and gross. Letting his mind get away from him, though, he rather enjoyed doing this. Harry liked Snape's cock a lot more than he maybe should have, and even liked having it in his mouth. There was something so arousing about having pulsing, heavy meat on his tongue, sliding in and out of his mouth. If he hadn't just cum, Harry was sure he'd be rock hard by now just sucking the man off.

The only warning was a loud groan from Snape before his seed spurted into Harry's mouth. He hadn't really been expecting _that_. It was warmer than he thought it would be, very bitter, and while it wasn't disgusting enough to make him vomit, it wasn't very satisfying, either. Most of it came out of his mouth, as he was too surprised at first to do anything, but he tried to swallow some of it. When it seemed the flow had stopped, Harry slowly pulled his mouth off, wiping away the saliva and semen from his face with the back of his hand. He then glanced uncertainly at Snape. The man's face was _red_. It wasn't that pink flush of pleasure, but so red Harry thought that the man was livid. The way his eyes flickered around, scowling, but never looking Harry directly in the eye, as well as how tense his body had become again, Harry thought he might be embarrassed. Frowning, he reached out to comfortingly touch Snape, but the man batted his hand away.

"Get out, Potter," Snape said coldly.

"But…" Harry said, but only trailed off as he wasn't sure how to finish the sentence.

"I said get out, Potter. You got what you wanted; now you may leave. Your detention is over."

"I was trying to make it good, okay? You don't have to be an arse about it."

"You all but forced my hand in this, Potter," the man spat bitterly.

"And you would have given me the choice? If I had given in it would have been the same thing, you git!" Harry snapped. He felt around for his glasses, shoved them on angrily, and scrambled out of bed to grab his clothes.

"You, unlike I, enjoy taking it, Mr. Potter."

"You got hard, you came so don't even pretend you didn't get off on it."

"The body reacts to things that way," Snape said uncomfortably. "The stimulation to the prostate was a mildly interesting experience but, as a whole, it does not mean I _like_ taking the submissive role in bed."

"Exactly," Harry hissed. "So what makes you think _I_ like it?"

Snape gave him a hard, calculating look. Harry did his best to keep a straight face. He actually _did_ enjoy having Snape shag him, and was disappointed he hadn't thought before now to just let Snape fuck him when they finished. The potions master didn't need to know that though. He was entirely too smug, too cruel about the entire thing. Having the satisfaction of knowing Harry liked what he did to him was not something he was willing to give.

"I believe I told you to get out," Snape said.

"Fine. I got what I needed anyway," Harry muttered, tugging on his trousers. Merlin, why did the man have to be so frustrating all of the time? Grabbing his wand and hexing the git was all too tempting at the moment! His hands shook slightly as he tugged on his trousers. He didn't even notice Snape move until he heard a nearby door slam shut. Harry glared in the direction of what he assume was the bathroom door. If Snape wasn't such a rotten bastard all of the time Harry might have sympathized with him. As it was, he was rather fond of the idea of the man falling into a hole and dying.

"Your turn next time!" he called to Snape as he exited the bedroom, heading back to the door that would lead him out of Snape's chambers. "_If_ you're nice!"

The bathroom door burst open. He glanced back as he stepped into Snape's office to see Snape striding towards him from the bedroom door. Harry slammed the entrance shut and walked quickly out of the office before Snape could find him. Was it fear? No. He wasn't afraid of the man. He was afraid of what he was going to be tempted to do to the man if he said one more nasty thing to him tonight.

While Harry knew now he preferred to bottom, he wasn't giving up his stance on things. He and Snape could take turns. Maybe if he kept this up Snape would eventually understand that he couldn't just be a complete prat to him all of the time. After tonight, Harry definitely was not going to let the man have the pleasure of knowing he was right. Just giving in to Snape was just going to be bad in the long run. If he wanted to make it through this bond with any sort of sanity or happiness, he was going to have to fight Snape tooth and nail until he calmed down.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Whooo. Chapter didn't come out how I had hoped, but meh. The last scene was an especially big struggle for me, since I kept wanting to change direction and let Snape top, per usual. I wanted to try something new, though, so I hope I did it halfway decently lol. Don't worry, this won't be happening often, if ever again xD lol

Anyways, the last chapter didn't hit 40, but because of reviews in other chapters I did get to 400 total for the story! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! So excited! I think that's pretty amazing and I thank everyone so much who has been reviewing and made it possible to get there! My new goal is still 40 reviews for a chapter! And to inspire an essay-length review ;) lmao! Love you guys SO freaking much!

Big thanks to my reviewers: Anniriel, Tokugawa Blitzer, Lady DestinyHope, Dark's Mistress, Sydney-Jo, ieatmyfeelings, Nocturnal Rose, iceprincessisis3, 13th Deathly Hallows, veronik, AlmondWithUnicornHair, Little Tenyo, .Snape, dogsby, Snapy90, Gemini Peverell, AstrophobicChick, xXxElectraxXx, Sirius-dorkis010, autumngold, Jaden, sev's-sexy-mistress, bkerrmom1, lalaland, Harmonie Dream, Ravenclaw Samurai, Jane Alpha, cherry blossom, monkeygirl66, iglak17, Saintsational, Thea, Taylor, and bonnilovesclyde!

Huge thanks to Dani the best beta in the history of betas!

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	27. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER TWENTY SIX**

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><p>Snape was an even bigger arse in class than usual, which was saying a lot. Poor Neville looked like he might die from fear with how nasty he was being. Even some of his precious Slytherins looked concerned. Harry, however, was furious. It took all of his self control to not just stand up and announce to the class he had had his cock up their horrid professor's arse last night. That morning he had woken up feeling guilty about the whole thing but, when Snape set him off again, he couldn't help but recall the event fondly. This was Snape's own fault. He wouldn't have had to deal with anything if he could just calm down instead of blowing up over every miniscule thing.<p>

"Well, maybe he has a bad history with…_that sort of thing_," Hermione told Harry when he described the events of the night before to her. It was after Potions class during a free period where the two friends were sitting by the lake with their homework.

"Maybe," Harry muttered. "Or maybe he was just too stubborn to enjoy himself."

"Maybe," Hermione relented hesitantly. "I just don't see why you two can't go about this in a more practical manner."

"Like trying to get along?" Harry snorted. "I'd be up for it if I thought he could be civil for one minute."

"I'm sure he could if _you_ gave it a shot," Hermione said exasperatedly. "He's…He's sort of set in his ways, isn't he?

"It doesn't matter, Hermione," Harry snapped. "I'm not going to bend over backwards for him on the off chance that he can be friendly. From what I've seen, he's _too_ set in his ways to have any hopes of changing. And I'm _not_ going to be his bitch, Hermione! He _needs_ someone to stand up to him. If he doesn't like it, then that's too damn bad. I can't make him like me but I_ will_ make him understand that I am not his slut."

He had to stop talking after that, feeling his emotions swarming up on him. His jaw tightened, eyes stinging, threatening to form tears. Harry was not going to get this upset over it all again. But he remembered too well how awful Snape made him feel. How he still made him feel. That his future could be comprised of nothing but this, of fighting Snape and being made to feel like dragon dung because of his own soul mate? It was beyond frustrating. It was angering and hurtful. Letting Snape make him feel that way was not an option. He was going to be strong and he would stand up for himself, no matter what.

"Oh Harry," Hermione said sadly. She set aside her Ancient Runes book, scooted closer to him, and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you. Just be careful, alright? I don't want you doing anything stupid."

"Me? Doing something stupid?" he asked innocently.

"Shut up," Hermione giggled. She sobered up not long after and sat up to look at him seriously. "Just remember. No matter how vile Professor Snape can be…He's still a member of the Order. He spies on Death Eaters at the risk of his own life and has for many years. He helped your parents escape that prison, remember? There's…_something_ good in him. Somewhere. Considering you're his soul mate, I'm sure that you of all people can find it. All you need to do is remember that there is a good man inside of that…admittedly tough exterior."

"Bloody arsehole of an exterior," Harry muttered.

"Can't hurt to try, can it?" Hermione pointed out.

"You've met him, right?"

Hermione cleared her throat and tried her best not to smile. Harry just grinned and continued on with his Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. It was interesting. Sirius had them all creating their own essay using the latest chapters covered. They would write questions they thought would be good on an exam, Sirius would look over them to make sure they were good, then he'd hand the exams back out for someone else to take. It was a fun game of trying to come up with the most difficult questions for someone else to answer, hoping theirs would be given to someone they didn't like, and really did help people learn the book better. Since coming up with hard questions meant actually reading the material to find those sorts of things, it made everyone read and actually pay attention a lot more than they usually did. Harry spent two hours creating the ultimate Defense essay that could only be rivaled by Hermione's. Maybe, if he asked nicely, Sirius would actually give his to Nott, Crabbe, or Goyle.

Eventually, Neville caught up with them to tell them that Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures had been cancelled due to one of Hagrid's jarveys decided to eat all of Pomfrey's Viper Vines as well as the honking daffodils. He decided to join them for their study group, which eventually turned into a discussion about future careers choices once Hermione had finished all of her own homework. Harry and Neville, who had once been determined to follow in their parents' footsteps of becoming Aurors, were now not so sure, while Hermione couldn't decide which department of the Ministry of Magic she wanted to work in. Harry had a lot less flattering things to say about the Minister for Magic as well as the Ministry itself while Hermione defended her choice in that she wanted to make a difference in the world.

It was dinnertime before they knew it and, as he had been the past few days, Harry sat with Hermione and Neville. It irritated Ron but Harry was still upset with him from when he heard of how Ron had been treating Hermione. The Weasleys were known for having fiery tempers, particularly among the two youngest, but Ron could be a right idiot when it came down to things. Why Hermione and Ginny were avoiding each other was something Harry wasn't too sure about but he couldn't get answers out of either of the women and, honestly, had more to worry about than dealing with them. Instead, he focused on enjoying a meal with his friends, actually managing to have fun and not think about anything remotely serious. _This_ was what most seventh years should be doing, likely were doing. It seemed like it had been such a long time since he last laughed this much.

The fun ended too soon. Neville and Hermione shot him sympathetic smiles as he gathered his strength then headed to the dungeons. Snape hadn't shown up for dinner so, hopefully, the man wouldn't be there at all. Maybe he had been called away to Voldemort. Harry wondered if he would know everything when Voldemort called his Death Eaters or not, especially since he now had a bond with both the Dark Lord and Snape. He wasn't sure he even hoped Snape was gone to him. Maybe he didn't like the potions master in the slightest but he didn't wish torture and death upon the man. At least not in any literal sense. He had thought it before. Just last night, in fact. The idea of Snape actually getting _hurt_ though…That bothered him.

Not that Snape deserved his sympathy. The man was too proud to even desire it. Harry tried to push Snape to the back of his mind for the rest of the walk. He was going to be forced to spend possibly hours with the man either glaring, yelling, or trying to shag him. Wasting any more thought on Snape was the last thing he needed, especially after such a relatively good day.

Harry half expected, half hoped to find Snape's office empty when he entered. Instead, he was in for the surprise of his life. He, immediately, looked away from the scene but, hesitantly, looked back, as though some magnetic force was pulling his attention back to what was happening. For a few very long minutes, Harry stood gaping at the scene before him, trying to comprehend what was there. Malfoy Sr. with his trousers around his ankles, expensive dark gray robes laying in a heap nearby, his pale and graceful body leaning over Snape's desk while said professor was fucking him ruthlessly. Once the initial shock wore off, Harry attention was arrested by the violent grace with which they moved. Lucius Malfoy was a truly beautiful man, once Harry could see past what an utter arse he was. His skin was smooth, pale, and unblemished, where Harry could see it, bare flesh exposed with what clothes he wore bunched around his ankles or far up his chest. Long, silky, pale blond hair swung perfectly around him as Lucius tossed his head to one side, revealing the look of pure delight and lust on his face. The way he pressed back against Snape, the pleading noises he made, the way he grasped desperately at the surface beneath him, everything about him was just so…_sexy_. Merlin this was good. This was better than any of those magazines the other boys had sneaked into their dorm rooms! Even the gay magazines Dean had bought out of curiosity that Harry had nicked didn't even compare to this. This was just…_real_. And it was _good_!

Somehow looking at Snape was better than looking at Lucius. Snape still wasn't attractive at all. He had long, wiry limbs with deathly pale skin, uneven and yellowed teeth as well as greasy, unkempt hair. Plus his nose was too big and hooked. His lips were too thin. There was a lot about Snape that was just wrong. That included his penis, which seemed a bit _too_ big. It looked like a monster! Between how angry and strong his erection looked as it slid in and out of Lucius's body and the look of intense concentration on Snape's face, he sort of looked furious, actually, Snape was a scary sight. It should have been comical, how homicidal Snape looked while fucking Lucius and how much Lucius seemed to be enjoying it. Harry was far from amused and was, instead, very glad he had worn the robes he had to hide his growing arousal at the sight of them. His could barely take his eyes away from Snape but, when he did, he licked his lips and immediately seemed to meet Lucius's amused gaze.

Lucius moaned, winked at Harry, then glanced over his shoulder at his lover. "Severus, did you…oh _yes_…you ah…_fuck_…Did you for…yes…_there_…Merlin yes!"

"Why are you attempting to talk?" Snape growled.

"I think you may have forgotten to lock the door," Lucius breathed, then closed his eyes, sliding back into that state of bliss as he moaned happily, surrendering himself back to the feeling of being fucked. Harry envied him. It had been days since Snape last fucked him! He almost regretted not just giving in to Snape last night. Almost. It was hard to focus too much on that when the sight before him was still so distracting.

Snape finally glanced at him, swore under his breath, reached over Lucius for his wand, and flicked it about until Harry was dragged a few feet into the room, the door was closed and locked, and Silencing charms were placed up. "You're early, Potter," Snape said calmly, slowing down his thrusting.

"Erm…No…I'm not," Harry said, glancing away from the two of them, blushing furiously. Without thinking about it, his eyes trailed back to them only moments later. "Check the time."

"Do you know how to knock?" Snape hissed, cursing again as he pulled out of Lucius and pulled up his trousers. Lucius glared at Snape then at Harry before standing up to rearrange himself moodily.

"Do you know how to lock the door?" Harry shot back irritably, face burning up even worse now. They had stopped and the spell was broken, leaving Harry feel horribly embarrassed for having been caught watching them. Even more than that, he was upset by Snape's attitude and disturbed by the scene he had walked in on. Why was Snape even fucking Lucius, anyway? Hadn't Lucius had enough when he supposedly had sex with Sirius? The anger replaced his awe and confusion so suddenly he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself other than stand there feeling like an idiot.

"This is your professor's office, Mr. Potter, and you would do well to be respectful and show that you have _some _manners. Though seeing the sort of swine your father was and still is, I find it unsurprising that you and your twit of a sister have less than commendable conduct."

"Do _not_ talk about my father or my sister that way, you git!" Harry snapped. He was finding it hard to remember how he had ever felt guilty over anything he had done to this man! Surely Snape deserved the very worst anyone could give, plus some!

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," Snape barked.

"Oh, so I know what _this_ is about," Harry said heatedly.

"Oh? What _is_ this about?" Snape drawled, a dangerous glint in his black eyes. Lucius was looking on in amusement.

"Obviously you had to sit here and shag someone else to get over the fact that you let me shag you last night," Harry snapped without thinking. "So now you have to act like an even bigger arse than usual to make yourself feel like a man again."

How Snape managed to get paler was beyond Harry's understanding. He only knew how wide his eyes had gotten, sensing the fury boiling beneath it. What was distracting was Lucius's laughter. "Tell me the boy is joking, Severus. You _bottomed_? That must have been a first."

Snape's face turned an angry red, his eyes narrowing at Lucius. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" he demanded.

"I should probably pay Black a visit, since you so rudely stopped before I was finished," Lucius sniffed. "No matter. I find this incredibly humorous and worth my time."

"_Get out_," Snape hissed.

"Was I really your first?" Harry asked in surprise. He wasn't sure how to feel about _that_ piece of information. Snape didn't seem the type to bottom but Harry had assumed he had before. If he was gay and all. What was the point of being gay if you just did with the same sex what you could do with the opposite sex? Maybe he was just bisexual or something. But, even then…Harry wasn't sure what to think about this at all. Part of him felt some smugness at Snape's obvious discomfort and embarrassment, while the bigger part of him felt rotten. The subject should have never come up. He had known last night how uncomfortable Snape was and to say it in front of someone else…No matter how much of a git Snape was…

Well…he _was_ rather horrible…

"My affairs are no concern of yours, Potter!" Snape snapped. "Lucius, do not make me say it again!"

"Very well," Lucius replied. "Good evening to you both." With an exaggerated bow, he lazily unlocked the door and let himself out.

"How _dare _you!" Snape hissed.

"Look, I…" Harry began, though he wasn't entirely sure where he wanted to go with it. It started out as an apology but, as he began speaking, he wasn't sure he wanted that. Maybe it was mean, but it was no worse than what Snape did on a daily basis. The man was cruel to everyone, had been for years, and got away with being a bully for far too long. Then he wanted to insult his family out of nowhere? Not to mention the fact that he was fucking Lucius Malfoy! It would do him some good to be put in his place! No one else seemed to have it in them to do it. Maybe no one else had the ability. Would it be so wrong to exploit this? To be able to knock the man down a peg or two? It was about time someone did.

"What we do, Potter, is not to become public knowledge. Details of my personal life are mine and mine alone to share, should I wish, and I do not _wish_ to share with anyone. You truly are your father's son, aren't you? Belittling those at every opportunity that crosses your path. Humiliating those you believe to be beneath you."

"I never…!"

"I'm. Not. Finished," Snape said dangerously, eyes narrowed in such a way that gave Harry pause. "You've seen the horrible tyrant your father was. I will not let you abuse…"

"Would you shut _up_ already and _stop_ bringing my dad into this!" Harry snapped. "That was decades ago! And I never…"

"You never what, Potter? Can you really claim innocence after your display just minutes ago?"

"It's nothing less than what you deserved, you prick! You want to talk about _bullies_, Snape? What the hell do you think you…"

He wasn't sure who moved first, only that suddenly they were at each other, grasping, kissing. When had that anger become desire? When had he gone from reaching out to strangle the man to grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer? Snape's hand shoved down his trousers, slick, probing at his entrance. The position was difficult, especially when his trousers were still on, but he managed to shove two fingers inside of him. It hurt like hell but Harry pressed back against them desperately. Snape's free hand moved to unbutton and unzip his trousers while Harry's moved around his arm to work the older wizard's back down while moving his mouth to that long, slender neck, kissing and biting the smooth skin.

Seconds later, he was shoved towards a wall, tripping over his own trousers in the process. Between the position and the minimal preparation, it was no surprise that the entrance was far from smooth. Both men became irritated when Snape pressed his cock against Harry's hole, unable to easily pass through the guarding muscles. Despite the pain, Harry pressed back against him, both using as much force as possible before Snape was finally able to press inside. Harry clawed at the stone wall in response to the pain while he cried out his success at finally having Snape inside of him. Eager hands grasped his waist, holding him still and using him as leverage while Snape struggled to move inside of him for a few long minutes spent grasping, panting, sweating, pushing, and moaning.

Frustrated by the lack of progress, Harry, angrily, spent an entire minute pulling at his leg until it finally came free of his shoe and his pant leg, shoving his legs further apart and pressing his arse back more, trying his best to give Snape easier access. The older wizard growled his approval, shifted his own position slightly then began pounding into Harry with fervor. The hands grasping his hips moved up his ribs, smoothing across his chest before sliding down his arms sand grasping his hands, holding them firmly against the wall while his hips moved relentlessly against Harry.

It hurt too much to be pleasurable, in the traditional sense. It was too rough for any real sexual enjoyment. Their sex was satisfying to Harry in something far more vital. Having Snape's cock in him made him feel complete. There was something so rewarding about their coupling that appeased his very soul and his magic more than his body. Despite the physical ache of the intruding member ripping through his flesh, every inch of Harry's skin tingled with life and energy. The touch of his soul mate fulfilled him entirely, regardless whether or not the actual act of being fucked felt good.

Even through the hurt, Harry managed to come without his prick ever being touched. He cried out, entirely consumed by the feel of a contented bond, some liquid delight flooding through every inch of him. He slumped against the wall the best he could, held up against it by Snape's tight grip as the man grunted savagely, continuing to use his sore body. Harry didn't mind. While Snape moved, he hummed quietly, still enjoying the feel of the man's thickness sliding in and out of him, like some missing piece of him being reintroduced to his body. It wasn't much longer before Snape was coming as well, collapsing against him. The two slowly slid down to the floor, catching their breath, completely drained of energy. Sex without the bond had never left him this tired. They had only done it a few times without the bond, but Harry already noticed the difference as he lay on the floor, eyes shut and unable to open, not caring that he fell asleep in his professor's office.

"Potter. Get out," Snape grunted.

"…'tention," Harry muttered.

"You can serve it another day," Snape said drowsily. "Remove your person from my office. I am in no mood to deal with you any longer than is strictly necessary."

"I…"

"I'm _done_ with you, Potter. Your presence is no longer required."

The comment stung. Harry knew exactly what his teacher was attempting to do. Snape was purposefully trying to get a rise out of him, trying to make him feel like he was nothing more than a whore. To be used and discarded at Snape's every whim. Harry fought through his exhaustion to sit up, turn then glare at Snape.

"So it is what this was about, wasn't it?" he taunted.

"I do not know what you're babbling about, Potter, and I have no desire for such knowledge. Get _out_," Snape snarled. Despite claiming not to know what Harry was talking about, the look in those black eyes told Harry that he lied. Maybe Snape wasn't sure, but he had an idea. And he was right.

"You're trying to reassert your manhood by fucking me and by fucking Malfoy. Are you going to do this every time I shag you?" Harry snapped, grabbing the wall to help him stand up.

"There will not be another time," Snape growled.

"Oh I think there will be," Harry retorted. "If it bothers you so much then we can always sit and talk, the way Professor Dumbledore wants us to. Or we can let the bond…mess with us again."

"You _enjoy_ being having my cock in your arse, Potter. I don't see why you insist on anything else," Snape hissed.

"Yes but _being_ in your arse is so much better than having yours in mine," Harry spat.

It wasn't true, but Harry hoped with everything that he was that Snape believed it. Shagging Snape wasn't so bad, really. He liked it a lot. But being shagged _was_ loads better. Perhaps the afterglow had been ruined by Snape, but he still remembered how amazing he had felt only moments ago. Even without the bond driving them, the sex had been good. It was Snape's vile tongue that made everything go sour. Harry would not stand for it. Not for anything. Snape gave in once before, he would do it again.

Part of him hated himself for feeling as though he was punishing Snape. But could he let the man punish him this way? Until Snape could treat him like a human being, Harry was going to have to be the bad guy.

"Why you little…" Snape began.

"Not so _little_, thanks," Harry retorted coldly, reaching down to pull up his trousers. "My turn next time."

He couldn't remember ever seeing so much hatred in Snape's eyes before. Harry reached for his wand as Snape approached him. Snape looked ready to _hit_ him. It would have been welcome. Physical fighting would have been a wonderful relief to all of this frustration that the man inspired. Their bond, however, had other ideas. Before either had realized the change in their feelings, they were tearing at each other's clothes again, Harry eagerly bending over the desk while Snape slid back inside of him. All exhaustion was forgotten, the energy of their anger feeding their desire. Thoughts of revenge were driven away as the potions master drove into his student's body. Malicious words were replaced by moans, cries, and pleas for more.

* * *

><p>Not long after Harry left them at dinner, Ron approached to apologize to Hermione. To his credit, he did seem sincere, but Hermione was too upset with him to be so easily forgiving. Luckily, sweet Neville was able to pull her away before she could say anything too nasty to him. She was almost regretful upon seeing the saddened face of the redhead as Neville pulled her away. Almost.<p>

Since Harry was serving detention, Hermione and Neville decided to walk the corridors until curfew. She explained why Ron was apologizing and he listened, offering wise, friendly advice whenever she had gotten it all off her chest. When she was done, Neville expressed his own concerns about Cedric. The poor boy was worried about whether or not he made the right decision in asking Cedric out. Then worried about the fact that he had yet to get a response about it. After that, fussing at himself for being worried when he had only sent the letter yesterday. Add to that, he was wondering what Cedric's response would be, concerns over the reactions of his classmates when the news of his sexuality really spread, then hating himself again for worrying about it so much. Over the years, Neville had grown from a shy, forgetful boy into a strong, quiet young man who often carried this air of peacefulness around him and played the part of settling arguments between friends. Seeing him so worked up over this was strange, at first, though Hermione eventually realized it was perfectly understandable and tried to do her best to think of a solution.

"Don't worry what anyone else has to say, Neville," Hermione assured him when he finally took a breath, his long winded explanation finally over. "I know it's easier said than done but you know you have the support of your friends and that's all that really matters."

"Do I?" Neville asked quietly. "I mean, you and Ginny are great about it. I'm…I'm fairly certain Harry wouldn't mind…"

"Harry _knows_ and it doesn't bother him," Hermione assured him.

"Yeah. Well, there's that," Neville said. "But I mean…What about my Gran? And then Ron…"

"Ron's a hotheaded, thoughtless prat," Hermione ranted, having to catch herself at the look Neville shot her. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, she managed to calm herself down enough to go on. "_But_…He is loyal. It might not be…very easy with him, at first…but he always comes around. He's…he really is a very good friend to those who have the patience to wait on his good qualities to shine through."

Neville's lips curled up into a soft smile, causing Hermione to grudgingly smile as well. "Yes, yes, I know. He's not _always_ a git. But I'm not ready to forgive him just yet, okay?"

"Alright," Neville said. "Maybe Ron will get over it. But everyone else…"

"Let me put it this way," Hermione said, coming to a stop. Neville stopped and turned to face her. "If someone cannot accept you as you are, they were _never_ your friend to begin with. Understand? So, to all of those who will think it bad, you can just forget about them! You're better off, anyway."

"Right," Neville said, though he didn't sound as though he fully believed it at all.

"_Anyway_," Hermione said. "Cedric is a great man. You know that, that's why you care about him so much! Even if he doesn't return your feelings, you know he will be very gracious about the whole thing. He won't be cruel at all, he'll let you down easy, and…He's so kind, Neville! You shouldn't worry about him at all."

"Well I know that…only…I don't know, Hermione. I just…I _want_ things to work out. Even if he's very nice about the whole thing, it would still be embarrassing! And it would…it would hurt, you know. I…I really want him to return my feelings. I know it's a long shot, but…"

"Don't say that! Why _wouldn't_ he return your feelings?"

"He might not even be g…you know!"

"Well, yes, there's that."

"Then…"

"No, no 'then', Neville! If there is any reason, that's the only one! You're wonderful. Cedric's a very lucky man to have your affection."

"Affection," Neville said in amusement.

"Don't laugh at my word choices! I'm _trying_ to make you feel better."

"Well, you're amusing me. That makes me feel better."

"Shut up, you!"

"So?"

"So? Oh, right! Let's see, where was I? Oh, yes! I'm sure Cedric will write back as soon as he is able! He's training to be a Healer, though, so I'm sure he's very busy at the moment. I understand your concerns, though. I was a nervous wreck when…when…Well, when I first became interested in Ronald. It's natural. Only…Well, I have to urge you to at least try to calm down. I'm always here for you and…well, I suppose Ginny is, too. And Harry! Just come to us if you need us. Then we have NEWTs this year! You really should be more focused on studying than writing love letters…"

"Hermione…"

"Sorry! I know, I know. Just…relax a little. Everything will turn out just fine."

Neville sighed heavily. "If you say so."

"What? You don't believe me?"

"It's a hard thing to believe!"

"Well at least try to have faith that things will be okay."

"I'll _try_. Speaking of which…How are things with _your_ soul mate?"

Hermione hesitated then continued walking. The subject of Draco Malfoy was not one she was very willing to discuss. He was her soul mate, the father of her baby, and apparent love interest of her best friend! How closely her life resembled a soap opera at the moment. She shook her head as she folded her arms over her chest. "They're…fine, I suppose. We haven't spoken much lately. Because of school, you know. And my accident," Hermione replied. "We…we did discuss our relationship, though. And the baby."

"And?"

"Well. He wanted me to marry him but I said no. Seeing as we're not in love."

"How _do_ you feel about him?"

The knowing look in Neville's eyes didn't appease her at all. Hermione wished she could forget she had even seen it. Merlin! Neville knew. Well, what did Neville know? She wasn't in love with Draco. Her feelings for him were just a tad confusing at the moment.

"I don't know," Hermione replied honestly. "It does bother me that he's so…interested in Ginny now, but…that could be any number of things! It doesn't even really matter, does it? The way it looks to be going, he and Ginny will be an item soon."

"It does matter," Neville assured her, reaching out to take her hand to give it a small squeeze. "It would help to know, I think. Before anything happens."

"Why? So I can 'stop' them?" Hermione scoffed. "I won't do that. Ginny's my friend. I don't have any claim on Draco. I might be carrying his child and may be his soul mate, but they don't mean anything. Not if he doesn't feel something for me. So if…if he and Ginny would be happy together, then…Well then…"

Neville watched her patiently, still holding her hand as they walked. Hermione swallowed hard, letting the words trail off, forgetting any intention of continuing her statement. She couldn't say it. Didn't want to say it. Didn't want it to be true. She would gladly give Draco and Ginny her blessing to date! Why shouldn't they? They obviously cared about each other. Sure, it was a bit hurtful and embarrassing that two people with such pivotal roles in her life had feelings for each other. But that was all it really was. If she did have feelings for Draco, they weren't strong enough to mean anything. Besides, wasn't it only natural to have some sort of delusion of romantic feelings for him? They were having a baby. They were bonded, for Merlin's sake! It was natural. It was all psychological so, eventually, her heart and mind would come to agreement then everything would be just fine!

She liked to believe so. Still, nothing really prepared her for seeing Draco and Ginny together again. They were walking down the corridor, heading towards where Hermione and Neville were. The moment she spotted them, her eyes shifted away immediately, pulse racing, worried they had seen her noticing them. Quickly, she made work of lacing her fingers through Neville's, walking a bit closer to him. He shot her a confused look that melted into realization when he noticed the pair, as well. Draco and Ginny for their part were too busy laughing at something or other to see them at first. Hermione really did not want to deal with them, but at the same time, not even being seen by them, would be all the worse.

"Hi, Ginny. Malfoy," Neville said.

Her knight in shining armor, he was.

"Oh! Hi, Neville! Hermione," Ginny said, her smile fading somewhat upon seeing Hermione. "What are you two doing?"

Draco's eyes narrowed in on their joined hands. It gave Hermione enough confidence to calm down slightly, approaching the situation easily. She forced herself to smile, walking closer to the two.

"We were just taking a walk together," Hermione said. "That's what _friends_ do, isn't it?"

"Oh, right. That's what we were doing, too," Ginny said.

The pair had been linked at the arms so Hermione caught the movement of Draco's hand easily as he reached down to take Ginny's hand in his own. The redhead sent him a surprised look but quickly turned back to Hermione with an uncertain smile. Hermione forced herself to smile back, trying hard not to stare at their linked hands or focus too much on the tight, uncomfortable feeling it created in her chest.

"I'm a bit surprised to see you out," Draco said coolly. "It's almost curfew, Head Girl."

"You would know, Head Boy," she replied, tone a bit quieter and a bit less teasing than she had hoped.

"Yes, well…that's why I was walking Ginevra back to Gryffindork Tower," Draco replied, grinning as Ginny leaned over to nudge him for making fun of their house. The gesture wasn't lost on Hermione. While it was more friendly than romantic, it still signified a closeness and intimacy that Hermione wasn't pleased by. They were too comfortable with each other. The sad part was that Hermione had been the one who encouraged them to try getting along in the first place. They had been so against it, she recalled. So unwilling to even try.

Now look at them.

"Well, we can always walk back with her now," Hermione said. "We wouldn't want you getting in any trouble, Draco."

Their disappointment was evident. Both opened their mouths as though to argue, glanced at each other sadly, then closed their mouths and nodded. Hermione's hand tightened around Neville's, as she sucked in a deep breath. She was not going to cry. Goddamn it, why did she even want to? Pregnancy hormones did _not_ kick in this fast, did they? She would have to consult the books again. This was ridiculous! Her eyes stung so she blinked rapidly, hoping to keep any tears away. She barely knew how she was still standing tall, and could only think that she had Neville's hand in hers to thank for any strength she retained throughout the scene.

"Sounds good," Ginny said, though she didn't sound as though it was good at all.

"Well…Goodnight, then," Draco said reluctantly. He stood there a moment longer than necessary, then let go of Ginny's hand and walked away. Quietly, Ginny and Hermione watched him go while Neville watched them.

"Are…are you okay, Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"We should probably talk."

Without even needing to be told, Neville let go of her hand, gave her a pat on the back then walked ahead of them. Hermione couldn't force herself to look at Ginny, though she felt the weight of her friend's worried gaze on her. It took a few seconds to get herself to move, motioning for Ginny to follow her. Why had she brought this up? She didn't want to talk about it at all. There was nothing _to_ talk about!

"Is this about Draco?" Ginny asked nervously.

"Yes."

"Because nothing's going on."

"Please don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying! I swear! There's nothing going on. I wouldn't do that to you."

"Do _what_ to me, exactly?"

"What do you mean?"

"What wouldn't you do to me?"

"You know!"

"So you and Draco aren't together because of me?"

"Well…I don't know! We haven't really discussed things. I just…Well. I dunno, Mione! He's your…You _know_!"

"But what does it matter?"

"What do you mean 'what does it matter'?"

"Well, soul mates don't…"

"Have to be romantically involved, yes, I _know_. That's why Blaise and I haven't jumped each other's bones. That's what _everyone_ keeps saying. Frankly, I'm tired of hearing it."

"Well, because of the assumptions about what these relationships should be like, everyone feels the need to remind others that things _don't_ have to be that way. And they _don't_."

Ginny frowned. "Well, I know. But he _is_ the father of your baby."

The two girls lapsed into silence, only the sounds of their feet hitting the stone floors echoing through the empty corridors. Her feelings were all confused now. There was guilt for being the reason that Ginny and Draco weren't together, then happiness that they _weren't_ together. There was hope that things never would happen, then confusion over why it mattered to her in the first place. Maybe Draco was the father of her baby, but what claim did that truly give her? Unless Draco had feelings for her there was no point to it. As long as he was a good father to their child, what more could she really want?

"Do you like him, Ginny?"

"Don't ask me that, Hermione."

"As if that didn't answer my question," Hermione said coldly. It was true then. As if she hadn't known that much.

"Look, don't get mad at me!" Ginny snapped. "I haven't done anything."

"I know, I believe you."

"Then stop…being like this!"

"I'm not being like anything. Look, just say it."

"Say what? No! What does it even matter?"

"It matters. I just…I need to hear you say it."

Ginny huffed, glared at a wall, and seemed to mull over the idea. The time she spoke, her voice was tight, as though she was struggling to remain calm and polite. "_Fine_. I like Draco. Happy?"

No. She was actually sort of miserable.

"Do you think he likes you?"

Ginny said nothing for a few minutes. Hermione was too scared of the answer to push her to speak. Eventually, though, Ginny sighed heavily and glanced apologetically at Hermione. "I have a feeling he does."

"So do I."

There was another heavy silence between them. She didn't really know what to say or do. Every step she took, every word she spoke was done as though fighting the weight of the world to do so. It was easier to just let it all go but Hermione knew, deep down, that this was something she _had_ to do. Screaming and hexing would have been preferable to this. Seeing Draco with Ginny would be hard. How could she truly feel happy for her best friend when seeing her with _him_ would be so…heartbreaking? It would be wrong of her to keep them apart, though, when they so obviously cared for each other.

"I think you should…" Hermione said, trailing off without finishing the sentence. She didn't want to say it. It hurt too much. Tearful eyes found the opposite wall as Ginny's gaze found her questioningly. Mentally berating herself, Hermione made quick work of blinking away the tears. She had dealt with the pain of Ron breaking her heart. She could handle letting Draco go. Besides, he had never really been hers to begin with. She didn't even know what she felt for him!

"I should what?" Ginny asked, voice tight, as though prepared to fight her.

"You should…be with him," Hermione finally made herself say.

"What?" Ginny hissed.

"You should go out with Draco!"

"_Why_?"

"Because you like him."

"So?"

"What, you need a better reason to date someone?"

"But…but he…but you…!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Yes, I know. But I'm not with Draco. I certainly can't keep him from dating other girls. I would rather…I would rather he be with someone I care about than to have some…slut on his arm. Especially if said person is going to be around our child," Hermione said wisely.

"I…But…"

"I know that…there's no guarantee of…I dunno…a big commitment," Hermione went on. And Merlin did she hope that was the case! "It might not even last until the baby's born. But, if he's interested in anyone, then I couldn't imagine a better girl for him to have feelings for. And if things _do_ work out…" God forbid they do. "…then who better than the godmother of our son?"

"Godmother?" Ginny asked, looking as though she couldn't handle many more surprises tonight.

"Yes. Well, I know you're a bit young. But I'm a bit young to be an _actual_ mother, you realize. Besides, who would be better for the job?"

"So…You want me to be the godmother and…date the baby's dad?" Ginny asked slowly.

Hermione laughed. _Want_ was a bit of a strong word. "Yes."

"Oh," Ginny said. "Well…I'll think about it."

"You'll _think_ about it?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you like him? I mean, I _did_ just give you my blessing."

Ginny laughed. "I know. But…Well, he _is_ going to be a father. And you're my best friend. The whole situation is a bit strange you know. Even if I _do_ have feelings for him!"

"Oh," Hermione said. Then, after a few seconds, she laughed. The whole thing_ was_ rather odd. In her own excuses as to why a relationship between Ginny and Draco could be strange that had always come up. But she had never thought it would be something that either of them would have to think seriously about it. "Right. Of course."

"But I'll…Well, I'll let you know when I make up my mind. Before I do anything," Ginny promised, stepping closer and linking her arm through Hermione's.

"That sounds good. And you know you can always come to me if you need to talk about it," Hermione promised, feeling a bit more at ease. After all, what girl their age in her right mind _would_ go after a guy who was having a baby with someone else? Someone else who was said girl's best friend and said boy's soul mate? Ever since being released from the infirmary she had been feeling so rotten, and for the first time Hermione was actually feeling good about things. Maybe she should have brought this up when it first started bothering her! It would have saved her loads of trouble!

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> It's been over two weeks since I posted! Omg! I've been trying, but if you liked me on FB you'd know. I've been suffering massive writer's block issues for a while and I struggled a lot with getting this chapter done. The first half took me the majority of the two weeks to get through, sometimes going days between paragraphs or even sentences. So if the chapter isn't all that great, I hope you understand why lol. My writing didn't flow as well as I had hoped, but I got it done so I'm happy. I hope it's still okay and y'all don't hate me too much!

Anyway, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! Not far from 500 now! I hope to see lots more reviews from y'all ;) If I remember correctly, my new goal was 40 for a chapter? Lol! Thanks to Lady DestinyHope, Tokugawa Blitzer, Sydney Jo, Anniriel, autumngold, Sirius-dorkis010, AlmondWithUnicornHair, Belladonna1185, dogsby, maokong, yyhs, Gemini Peverell, Nocturnal Rose, slytherinfighter2011, monkeygirl66, sevs-sexy-mistress, iglak17, Snapy, ieatmyfeelings, Sheankelor, Gabrielle Rickman Snape, MagicalWinry, LittleTenyo, lirio de amor, Draecheli, FroggerJane, Clockpart, IceprincessIsis3, Alex, dizzie, xXxElectraxXx, XxTaintedxDaggerxX, Hannah, and vampy-chan17!

Big thanks to my beta Dani for being amazing!

Don't forget you can like me on FB for updates!


	28. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN**

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><p>When a few days had passed, and it was time for Potter and Severus to meet again to appease their unstable bond, Severus had retained hopes that the foolish child giving up on his stance. Potter had come to detention wearing his band. No amount of arguing, threatening, or bribing managing to sway him. In the end, a very frustrated, and reluctant, Severus gave in yet again. This time was no better than the first. The minimal pleasure he received was easily ignored in favor of viewing the whole thing with the utmost disgust. He liked to think that he was a reasonable man. He knew that something had to give, that they had to do something to keep this bond strong. Surrendering his pride or great ordeals was nothing new to a man who had known nothing but surrender and torment. Actually, having to be in a submissive role in the bedroom was something else entirely and, for his first experience with such a thing to be with a teenage boy, was truly degrading. It was for the best, really, but the self loathing that followed each time was enough to make him want to strangle the boy or himself. Potter only wanted to get the better of him and Severus would be damned if he let him! The boy was exactly like his father and Severus would never be a victim to a Potter ever again.<p>

So, a few days later, as the time had come to copulate yet again, when it was Severus's turn to dominate, he had a new strategy in mind. Severus could confess to himself that he wanted nothing more than to humiliate the boy, to give him as little pleasure as possible and make him feel every ounce of hatred Severus had in his only two experiences as a bottom. Making Potter miserable wasn't worth his own discomfort, so a new plan formulated. He would make the younger wizard enjoy it; bring him pleasure he could never hope to experience otherwise. The Gryffindor would eventually not want to top him at all, enjoying his time as the bottom too much to even dream of it again. Perhaps it was a bit of a stretch. Severus, while finding _some_ small pleasure in the position, couldn't understand why anyone would prefer it. But, if Lucius Malfoy could so eagerly take it up the arse, then Harry Potter could be just as slutty a bottom.

The evening started out promising enough. They retreated to Severus's personal chambers, as he didn't believe it was very safe to continue their liaisons in his office where they could be interrupted easily. He proceeded to distract Potter from his own moodiness with what had to be the best blowjob he had ever given. It was such a shame to have wasted such skill and enthusiasm on a Potter. To Severus's surprise, Potter seemed eager to return the favor, which was how Severus found himself sitting in his favorite chair with the boy's head in his lap, mouth bobbing up and down over his cock. Without the bond to encourage him to forget his own comfort, gladly taking any pain given out of sheer need of having Severus inside of him, Potter could only take in a few inches and, sadly, seemed to remember his limitations here. The first few minutes were rather awkward as Potter tried to establish a good rhythm. Severus was tempted to go about taunting the boy. Sex with their bond in control of things was better than this. At least for him. Potter always ended up in a great deal of pain. He may have enjoyed the sight, had Potter not gone through such lengths to be so careful with him, making it hard to really find amusement in the brat's discomfort.

Eventually, Potter really got into the act of sucking cock. It was as though he was in some sort of trance, his mind gone, letting instincts take over. And what beautiful instincts they were! His hand moved firmly over the flesh Potter couldn't take into his mouth, even daring to fondle his bollocks now and then as he had done for the boy not so long ago. There was something very mesmerizing about the peaceful look on the Gryffindor's face, how erotic it was to see his thick cock disappearing in and out of his mouth. Any malicious amusement he had seen in Potter on his knees between his legs was gone now, paralyzed by his own little trance. Long fingers combed through the boy's unruly hair, twitching slightly in response to the arousing feel of that head moving up and down. Potter moaned quietly around his cock, causing Severus to gasp quietly in pleasure.

"Look at me," he whispered, wanting nothing more than to see those eyes he had fallen in love with. Potter was so lost in his work he didn't even bother looking at Severus, only the quiet command reaching his ears, disorientating him a bit as he blinked open those bright emerald orbs, glancing up to meet Severus's dark gaze. His fingers tightened in the boy's hair, making Potter cringe, momentarily, before relaxing again. The desire was clearly written all over the boy's face and Severus didn't dare mock him for it. He was too in awe of the expression, too full of lust himself to laugh or taunt the boy. Merlin, what he wouldn't give to come in the boy's mouth, to watch him swallow every last drop. Then he could get Potter off and that would suffice for their bond. The act of anal penetration wasn't necessary, was it? Severus wanted that just as badly, though. He was really going to have to keep some sort of male performance potions on hand if this kept up. Especially if he wanted to draw things out as much as he did tonight. And would every night until Potter gave into him.

He was reluctant to stop the boy, letting him continue to hungrily suck his cock a few minutes longer than he intended. Only when he knew he was cutting it close did he urge Potter up. "Come here," he commanded. His student seemed just as hesitant as he was to stop, slowly pulling up, releasing his hardness with a soft pop then flicking his tongue over the head one last time before grabbing the arms of the chair and hoisting himself up into Severus's lap. Eager hands roamed across young flesh, letting the boy rub his needy erection against his stomach. With the lubricant he had placed in the cushion before the boy's arrival, he carefully prepared the boy with one finger, then two, then three while kissing from Potter's jaw along his neck down his shoulder to his erect nipples. By the time Severus grabbed Potter's hips, guiding him back onto his calmed prick, the boy had an angry dark red hickey on the side of his neck. Severus didn't think he'd be so kind as to give him a potion to cover it up. Let his ever adoring fans try to figure out where it had come from. They could never even comprehend it had come from their hated potions master.

Their time together dragged by slowly, but Severus had never been happier for it. Potter's company during sex was better than he could have imagined. Once the boy was too lost in his own lust to think clearly, he became an ideal lover. Those moans were music to Severus's ears, the young body moving perfectly with his, every bit of the teenager driving him wild in a way he was almost ashamed to admit. Potter began riding his cock with the same clumsiness he had started the blowjob but performed beautifully once the throes of passion overcame him. When the boy came for the first time, Severus realized how close he was himself and, quickly, pulled out, leading Potter over to the nearby couch while he calmed down, positioning the boy on his hands and knees facing the back of the couch. He grasped his soul mate's thin hips then pounded into him while sucking on the side of his neck and shoulders again, producing two new hickeys by the time they moved again. Severus was reluctant to stop when he felt himself come closer again but managed to pull out in time, stumbling to his feet and arranging Potter onto his side, finding it hard to maneuver in his body's frustration. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer but was sure Potter would be more than satisfied the time they were finally through as the younger wizard was already hard again.

With Potter lying on his side on the couch, Severus grabbed his top leg and lifted it up, coming down to straddle the thigh of his bottom leg that was stretched out. His lover was panting heavily, looking up at him in confusion while he moved to roll over. Severus reached down to grasp him, moving his body back into the proper position then holding him still. Once he felt confident that he had calmed down considerably and the boy wasn't going to move, he held Potter's leg up over his shoulder and slowly pressed into him yet again. Potter shivered, his hot channel clenching almost painfully tight around Severus's shaft. His hands were clutching tightly at the cushions of the couch, whole body so sensitive from everything they had already done. He whimpered loudly as Severus pressed into him, cringing in pain while excitedly moving his hips against his professor. The position didn't make it easy for Potter to move with him but the boy seemed intent on letting Severus know how much he wanted this.

"Please…please," the boy gasped.

"Please what?" Severus breathed.

"Fuck me. Please, please fuck me."

"What do you…you think…I've been…doing?" Severus asked breathlessly as he began slowly moving in and out.

"More…just…more."

"Can you handle more?" he teased.

"Please…Need you. More. Now. Please," the boy whimpered.

Severus smirked. Keeping one hand on Potter's hip, the other arm wrapped around his leg, holding it to his chest, he began to fuck the boy in earnest. Gods, he was just ready to come already! It had been while since he had held off so long with the intention of making things last longer in the bedroom. As good as it felt, and even with those times he wished the pleasure never had to end, he felt like he might go mad if he didn't reach his orgasm soon.

Potter seemed to be in a state of pained bliss that was interesting to observe. His face was scrunched up, fingers clutching the couch so tightly his knuckles were white, panting heavily, letting out a constant stream of noise from whimpers to gasps to moans. Never had Severus seen anyone look so helpless in their pleasure.

"Yes…please…fuck me…yes…there…like that…yes…_yesss_," the boy babbled.

Merlin, he never wanted this to stop. He wasn't sure he could survive stopping again but, at the same time. he never wanted to be anywhere but inside of his soul mate. It didn't matter how sore either of them were, how slick with sweat their skin was, or anything else going on in the world. Nothing had ever felt this good before. No other lover had been quite so responsive, no other body feeling as though it was made for him. He could feel the end drawing near and wanted to stop, wanting to give himself another break so that they could go again, go on all through the night.

He paused only momentarily to move Potter's leg back down, bending it at the knee and pressing it into the boy's chest before leaning over him. His chest was pressed against the boy's side, arms resting on either side of the couch, and he picked up the pace. His muscles were all sore, begging him to stop. It had been so long since he had kept this going for such an extended period of time. At this point, Severus was sure he could pull or even break something and be incapable of stopping himself until he had come. Lips pressed down against every inch of available skin, tongue flicking over the big, red-purple looking mark he had created on the slope of the boy's neck.

"Gods," the boy hissed as Severus nibbled at his throat then kissed along his jaw. Potter turned just in time to capture Severus's lips, taking the older man by surprise. The boy released his grip on the couch in order to wind them around Severus, kissing him more intently. He obliged, kissing the boy deeply and swallowing every intake of breath, each pant, every last moan, plea and groan. The lips beneath his were so soft, so warm. That mouth tasted so sweet, like butterbeer and the treacle tart he had been shoveling into it at dinner. Potter tasted of youth, inexperience, and need. Severus wasn't one who enjoyed kissing much during sex but the boy was intoxicating.

"Mmm," the boy moaned, hand slipping down Severus's back despite his attempts at clinging on tightly. The amount of sweat rolling off them made it hard. The other hand tangled in Severus's greasy hair, the tight grip not annoying him as it might have normally. "Please…Touch me…Need you…touch me…now…need…please…oh gods, please."

Severus slid his tongue into the boy's mouth again to shut him up, kissing him deeper as he slid one hand down to capture the boy's leaking prick. Potter clung to him tighter, mouth opening wide in a soundless cry of pleasure as a few pumps later he was coming all over Severus's hand. To his surprise, Severus found himself following only seconds later, his own orgasm catching him off guard, seizing control of his body. He held onto the smaller body beneath him just as hard as the boy was clinging to him. As he emptied himself into the tight channel, he sank his teeth deeply into Potter's shoulder. The boy managed to roll onto his back just before Severus collapsed onto him.

For several long minutes, they laid there, holding each other, catching their breath together, relaxing, and waiting for the chaos in their minds to settle. It was comfortable. Severus couldn't remember the last time he had been left feeling so sated from sex. He felt dirty and sore, so could probably do with a nice, long, hot shower. But it would have to wait. He was more tempted to sleep.

Only the soft snores emitting from below him interrupted that peaceful state that was bound to become sleep. Severus groaned, blinked open his eyes, and pushed himself up to glare down at the boy. Potter was _not_ spending the night with him! Pushing the boy off the couch was sure to wake him up. It was a strong urge but he fought it and, instead, reached out to shake the boy roughly. He was too tired to do much more, really. "Potter. Get out."

"What? Oh…sorry," he muttered. The brat cleared his throat then sat up. Pushing him off the couch would have been more satisfying, really. He was being too nice. Severus let out an impatient huff, causing the boy to glare sleepily before stumbling around the room to retrieve his clothes. Stretching out on the couch then passing out himself sounded like a good idea but he was not leaving himself in such a vulnerable position while Potter was still in his chambers. Potter barely seemed awake by the time he was fully clothed but Severus didn't feel much better.

"See you…'morrow," the boy said with a large yawn. Severus watched drowsily as the boy shuffled across the room until he was finally out of his chambers. It was a great effort to move himself to his bedroom but he was going to be sore enough as it was in the morning without getting a rough sleep on his living room furniture.

* * *

><p>Befriending Hermione and Ginevra had been one thing. For Draco Malfoy to find himself walking down the corridors having a civil conversation with Neville Longbottom was even worse! The quiet Gryffindor was relatively intelligent, despite popular belief, and easy to talk to. Draco hardly even thought about the fact that this was <em>Longbottom<em>. But, when he did, he could hardly push back the incredulity of the whole thing. For his part, Neville didn't seem to be having the same problem. This _was_ the boy who seemed to be developing a close friendship to Daphne Greengrass, though. Maybe hanging around Slytherins wasn't so strange for him anymore.

It had started shortly after dinnertime. Draco was in dire need of help with his Herbology homework. While he excelled in Potions, he struggled a bit with Herbology, which was sad considering most of their ingredients would come from plants. He had asked Ginevra and Hermione for their help but the former had been a bit distant for the past week while the latter had a previous engagement. Both suggested Neville for the job, even going so far as to ask the boy for him. Neville, to his surprise, had readily agreed. They got permission from Professor Sprout to use Greenhouse 3 with a reminder that curfew wasn't too far away. Neville was a calm, patient teacher who dealt with Draco's impatience and frustrations easily. They worked a few hours past curfew without realizing with little progress made. The Gryffindor promised to help Draco whenever he needed and suggested meeting up during their free periods the next few days until the work was done.

On their way back to the castle, they had other topics to cover.

"You're not interested in Daphne, are you? I think she really fancies Charles Weasley now."

"No…er…I'm not really…I don't fancy girls."

"Oh. So that rumor was true?"

"Heard that from Zabini?"

"Yes."

"Well…Yeah. It's true."

"You _do_ know…"

"Soul mates don't have to…Yeah, I know. But…I always fancied Cedric, really. Never really had the confidence to admit it until this whole thing came around, though, you know?"

"I suppose so."

"Is that a problem?"

"As long as you don't try to seduce me, I should be fine."

Neville laughed. "No worries there."

"What? You don't find me attractive?"

Draco grinned when his partner blushed. "Well, I didn't say that either."

"Oh? Do tell."

Neville squirmed uncomfortably. "There's not much _to_ tell. I mean…Yeah, you're…you're plenty…you know. Attractive. But…Well, I don't like you that way. So I would never…You know."

"Ah. No sex with someone unless you're in love, then?" Draco asked, having a hard time reeling in his urge to pick on the other wizard.

"Yeah. That's right," Neville said, giving Draco a wary look. That only made it harder but Draco managed to keep himself in control.

"Besides, you have enough troubles with your love life the last I checked," Neville mentioned casually but the look in his eyes suggested anything but. He was looking at Draco, searching for his reaction to the sore subject. The love triangle between Hermione, Ginevra, and himself. Or, more like, a love _square_ if you wanted to include Blaise.

"Enough to last me a lifetime," Draco said, forcing himself to laugh. He was far from amused.

"What is going on there, if you don't mind my asking?" Neville asked.

"I do mind," Draco snapped.

Neville raised his hands in surrender. "That's fine. I don't mean to pry. Only…I know it must be a…challenging situation. But…if you need anyone to talk to. Well, I'm sure Daphne wouldn't mind, but…I don't mind lending an ear, if you want. I'm told I'm a good listener."

Very good with advice, too. He had heard that from Hermione, Ginevra, _and_ Daphne. Neville was a good friend. Their tutoring sessions alone had told Draco a great deal about Neville's character, how valuable he would be as an ally…_friend_, really, though he was reluctant to use the term. The last thing he wanted to think about, though, was his impending fatherhood and a complicated love life. Things were awkward between everyone involved. Blaise was always watching him, just waiting for him to make one wrong move. Ginevra was trying to figure out her feelings. Then Hermione…

"Hermione gave Ginevra and I her blessing," Draco said after a few minutes of silence. Neville nodded, but said nothing more. "Surprised me."

"I think it surprised everyone," Neville commented.

"Ginevra's still thinking about what she wants to do. I guess I should be understanding, but…I like her," Draco said. It was the first time he had said so aloud. "And she likes me. She's as much as said it. But…with everything…She thinks it might not be a good idea."

"Can you blame her?" Neville asked with a small smile.

Considering Ginevra's best friend was Draco's soul mate and the mother of his child, he supposed he couldn't. It was hard for him to see things from her perspective. All he knew was that he cared about them both a great deal but Ginevra was someone he could afford to have a future with. The more he thought about being with her, the more he liked the idea. The more he wanted her. Now, with the fact that they liked each other was out, it gave hope that could only be squashed. The way things were going, Draco highly doubted Ginevra would decide in his favor.

When Draco said nothing, they fell into silence for another few minutes. "Is there anything I can do?" he finally asked. "To help my odds?"

Neville considered this for a moment. "Hmmm. I'm not sure. I know how to not hurt your odds. Don't push her. She's very stubborn, has a temper, you should know."

"She is a Weasley," Draco nodded.

"Yes. So…I dunno. Just give her space. Maybe sit down with her and rationally discuss with her why you think you should be together," Neville suggested. "Just don't yell or tell her what to do. You'd have to be calm about it. As inoffensive as possible."

"Right," Draco said, frowning. It sounded easy in words but, in practice, he was sure it would be much harder. In short, it seemed completely hopeless. "What do you think? _Should_ we be together?"

"I can't really tell you that," Neville said with a frown. "On the one hand, you do have feelings for each other. Not much else should matter. But…with everything else…it will pose problems in any relationship. However, it could be detrimental to a new one."

Great. Even more unhelpful news.

"But…if you really want to be with her…it couldn't hurt to try," Neville offered.

Draco snorted. "I'm sure it wo…"

He was cut off by a distant shout. Since it was after hours it was surprising. But the sound itself didn't bode well. Draco glanced at Neville, then back down the corridor. There were loud sounds of feet hitting the stone, a sharp cry of pain and the familiar shout of a very illegal curse. Eyes wide, Draco stepped back a few paces while Neville charged forward. Draco watched him go in surprise, not sure why anyone would want to run towards that sort of thing. But Draco was Head Boy. The least he could do was get a teacher. Curiosity won out and Draco ran after Neville, glancing around to see where they were then figuring where the nearest teacher would be once he found out what was going on.

What he found was a group not too far from where Gryffindor Tower was. At first glance, Draco's heart froze fearfully in his chest. From the dark cloaks to the masks, they could have been Death Eaters. Further inspection told that they were plain black robes that most first years came in, with no House badge anywhere in sight to identify them. Their also wore tall black hoods that didn't seem attached to the actual robes but, instead, from something they wore beneath them. The masks were nothing more than homemade replicas of the Death Eater masks. They could have been made in an art class, really.

Next thing he realized was that the group was targeting Harry Potter. The Chosen One was pale with what looked like vomit trailing down his face, neck, and the front of his shirt. His body shook, though he managed to keep his arm steady as he aimed his wand at his attackers, firing back. Potter was brilliant in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Draco could admit that. He had fought against some evil or another every year he had been at Hogwarts. That alone could attest to his skill. Draco had seen for himself how amazing Potter was. He was the best in their year in that class! Tonight, though, Potter was anything but good. While Draco had heard that his magic had been unstable for a few weeks, there was nothing unstable now. But he seemed weaker. None of his counter-curses had quite the force he was used to seeing from Potter.

Neville ran in to join the fight, warding off the others as one sent a hex that pushed Potter hard into the nearest wall. He collapsed, sliding on his knees to retrieve his wand but his attacker stomped on his hand. Draco quickly summoned Potter's wand, sent the attacker flying, helped Potter to his feet, handed it to him then turned back to the group, only to see them running in the opposite direction.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Draco spat.

"Looked like…Death Eaters," Neville gasped, glaring down the corridor as he caught his breath.

"They're not," Potter said, sinking back down to his knees.

"Harry!" Neville exclaimed, running to his side. "What happened?"

"Was coming back from detention," Potter muttered. "Password changed. Didn't know it. Then they came up. Been fighting them for a while. Wasn't sure I'd hang on much longer."

"Looks like you got sick everywhere," Draco said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Feel like I might again," Potter admitted.

"Let's get you to the infirmary," Neville said, reaching down to grab Potter. Draco watched, prepared to go hunt down a professor to report the incident. Seeing how pathetic Potter looked, and how hard of a time Neville had with him, Draco sighed heavily then reached out to grab his other side, careful to avoid any of his sickness.

"So help me Merlin, if you throw up on me, Potter…" Draco warned.

"Do my best," Potter muttered as the three staggered down the empty corridor.

* * *

><p>When everyone else headed to bed, Hermione made quick work of finishing her Ancient Runes assignment and went to studying her two new favorite subjects. Dumbledore had written her a permission slip to have full access to the library and to order outside books, most of which pertained to the Soul Bond. It was very interesting to learn more about the bond she had committed herself to, especially since most of the work involved history and having to get access to information about people long dead. None of them were very noteworthy, really, which made information even harder to come by. Hermione liked to think she was slowly putting the pieces together though. She couldn't wait until she had enough to present to Dumbledore and the others!<p>

Her pregnancy books were all just as distracting. She had resigned herself to the fact that she was having a baby, at least mentally. Emotionally, it was still a bit much to take. Logically, she knew she had to take care of herself, know as much about the process as possible, which was what she was doing. She took all of the necessary potions, was watching what she ate, and imagined how her little boy looked right now. Then she was obviously going to need a name. That part seemed relatively easy until she actually started thinking about it. She went through each letter in the book, listed the pros and cons of each name, taking into account meaning, the sound, possible nicknames, any references, and anything else. After a few days of actually looking through it, she was only on letter D now. The list only had a few names on it.

An hour and a half was spent looking over the newpapers she had received on a bonded couple from the 1400's named Agatha and Ruth, who were condemned to death when they were found by their husbands to be lesbian lovers. Dumbledore had been in contact with one of Ruth's descendants, who actually had the diaries of both women in his possession. The family, while despising the 'sin' the women had committed, had kept their belongings safe, should they find anything useful and, eventually, became interesting artifacts to the families in later years. Hermione found them interesting indeed. Their love was breathtaking, so easy to become absorbed in when reading their words. Only realizing where it would end made it heartbreaking.

Part of her had to wonder some things when reading Ruth's diary. When she was pregnant for the third time, she often mused about what life would be like if the child she was carrying was Agatha's. It couldn't help but make her think of when Harry had thought he was pregnant. Hermione had to scold him for not bothering to ask her, not confiding with her until after the fact. It did seem ridiculous, males becoming pregnant. Just as ridiculous as it was for a female to get pregnant by another female. Was it a hint of some kind? Or only innocent hoping? She chewed on her bottom lip, tapping her quill against her knee while she stared at the line. Finally, hesitantly, scribbling _same sex pregnancy _on her parchment followed by a number of question marks. She felt silly just writing it, but it wouldn't hurt to look into it.

"Eh…Er…D'you…you need any help, Mione?"

She gasped, dropping her quill as she looked up at Ron Weasley. Her ex-boyfriend stood there, looking horribly uncomfortable. She scowled at him, coldly asking, "Shouldn't you be in bed, Ronald?"

"I…Probably. But I…couldn't sleep."

"That's not my problem, is it?"

"Oh um…Guess not."

Ron just stood there, looking around the emptied common room. Hermione sighed heavily, pointedly picking up her quill and going back to work. It was hard to concentrate with Ron standing right there but she pretended she was going on just fine.

"I really am sorry, you know," Ron finally said. He looked like he was pouting now as he kicked the floor.

"No, I don't know," Hermione said.

"Well, I _am_. I was a jerk, alright?" Ron said.

Hermione just raised her eyebrow.

Ron sighed then kicked the floor again. "I was a right prat. I was horrible. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to hex me. Ginny's already threatened to do it a few times."

"You deserve it," Hermione said stiffly.

"I know," Ron replied sadly. "I just…I get so mad sometimes."

"Yeah, I know," Hermione said accusingly, though her tone wasn't quite as angry as it had been. Already, she hated herself for the way her eyes threatened tears. "That doesn't give you the right to treat anyone the way you treated me."

"I really buggered that one up, didn't I?" Ron muttered.

"That would be stating the obvious," she muttered, voice cracking.

"Merlin, I'm so…I'm really sorry. I was just…mad. Cause…Well…I loved you and you were Malfoy's soul mate and now you're having his kid and I just…It got to me."

"You loved me?" Hermione demanded shrilly. "You _loved_ me? Ron, nothing you did even hinted at _love_!"

"But that was just it! I was so mad because I really loved you!" Ron hurried to explain. "You just…the soul mate thing! And…You hid it from me! I really thought it would be us, you know? That we could get married, bond, have kids…we could have it all. And when I found out the truth, it sort of ruined everything. I thought that since…since we weren't…we weren't meant to be. And just…I messed up really bad, then I hated myself for it so I was even more mad. Then…then…Hannah! Then…Oh, I dunno. It was just bad. Cause you were friendly with Malfoy then, too. And…just…now you're preggers and…it's all just bad! Life just…just really, really sucks. You know?"

"Yeah," Hermione laughed bitterly. "I know."

"Yeah," Ron said. By now, his face was a horrible red color, blue eyes unable to stay in one place for very long. Hermione couldn't help but smile. Ron didn't do very well with understanding his own feelings, let alone expressing them. Recognizing this made her smile a bit more, though she did her best to bite it back. Things would never be the same between Ron and her ever again. He was married to Hannah now and, aside from that, too much had happened. She was still a bit sore over all that he had said and done. But she knew him too well, had loved him for too long, for her to hate him forever. He was her first love. Like it or not, it would stay with her forever. "So just…Whatever I need to do to…to make it up to you just…just lemme know, alright?"

"Sure, Ron," she said with a small nod of her head. Ron smiled hesitantly, then turned to head back to the boy's dorm. Hermione bit her lip, watching him go before calling out, "Ron, wait!"

"Yeah?" he said, quickly turning towards her.

"Mind helping me do research?"

Blue eyes grew wide. "D…Do I have to?"

Most days she might have been annoyed by his reluctance but tonight Hermione couldn't help but smile. It was just so…_Ron_. The redhead grinned in response, relaxed, and shrugged his shoulders. "What do you need me to do?"

Deep inside, Hermione wasn't certain she was entirely ready to forgive Ron of everything. She really wanted to, though. It wouldn't hurt to at least begin the repairs on their friendship. With a smile, she beckoned him forward, waiting until Ron was sitting beside her before saying anything. "Have you ever heard anything about…homosexuals reproducing? Together?" Hermione asked. There wasn't anything mentioned in books about the matter. Harry had told her everything about his visit with Pomfrey upon her request, though, and some of the comments stuck with her. Being a pureblood, Ron was bound to have heard some of the rumors about things.

Ron's brows furrowed in confusion. "Sure. What do you need to know about that for?"

Harry must not have told Ron. Hermione shrugged and tapped her parchment. "Doing research on Soul Bonds. I've heard some things mentioned about same sex pregnancy but I haven't really thought to ask for any details until now."

"Well, I'm not sure what to say about it," Ron shrugged. "They told us that stuff as kids, y'know? Try to scare some people out of being gay. But…they say that really powerful witches or wizards can have kids with you know…another witch or wizard. Or they can even have kids by themselves. Like…well, I dunno, like what. But there are some things that can have kids on their own. Then…I dunno how it works. Someone said the pregger bloke would grow lady parts. That's kinda scary for any bloke, y'know? Oh! They also said that the kids turn out really, really weird. Like barely human! You know how they go on about how deformed incest babies are, right? Well, I've heard it said that gay babies are worse! Really messed up."

"Of course they would say that," Hermione said dryly. Already the hints of homophobia in their world were miffing her.

"I dunno why it would matter, though. It's impossible," Ron said.

"Maybe," Hermione sighed. At the incredulous look Ron gave her, Hermione elaborated. "I'm doing research on bonds, remember? There haven't been many Soul Bonds, have there?"

"Oh _shite_!" Ron said, paling drastically. Hermione watched him, half amused, as the idea of male pregnancy sunk in. She had never seen him look more disturbed in her life. "Good thing Harry isn't shagging Snape, eh?"

It was Hermione's turn to pale, though Ron didn't notice. "Good thing."

"Yeah. Can you imagine Snape having a baby?"

"No, not really. Harry could be the pregnant one, though, you know."

"Merlin, I hope not. Though it would probably be better for the baby, right? Snape would probably kill it or something."

Hermione forced herself to laugh. "Probably."

Ron wrinkled his nose. "Gross. Anyway, you don't think it's possible, do you?"

"I think it's something I'll have to look into," Hermione sighed.

The redhead shook his head then laid down beside her, shifting into a comfortable position. "Guess we better get Neville some condoms, then, you think?"

"Ron!"

* * *

><p>"I shouldn't be surprised to see you here, Mr. Potter," sighed Madam Pomfrey as she led them into the infirmary. Neville and Draco helped Harry onto the nearest bed while Madam Pomfrey flicked on the lights, as the rest of the infirmary was empty and it was safe to do so. "What is it then?"<p>

"He was attacked by a group. Not sure who they were. They were masked," Neville explained. "He's been throwing up again. Very bad."

"Very lucky he missed me," Draco muttered. "Filch will not be happy to find that though."

"Oh, yeah. I'll go see if I can clean it before he finds it. I'll be back!" Neville said, turning around and darting back out of the room.

"Stomach pains," Harry added, cringing as his stomach clenched up again. He hissed in agony, wanting nothing more than to curl up into a ball and beg for the pain to stop.

"How long has this been going on?" Madam Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly.

"Err…the attack or being sick?"

"Don't play dense. The sickness, of course. When did it come back?"

"Well…It never really went away…"

"And you didn't think to come to me?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal! You didn't find anything the first time."

"And you don't think that would be a sign of a bigger problem?"

Draco snorted, receiving a glare from Pomfrey and Harry.

"Well, let's get a look at you. Lay down," Pomfrey instructed. Draco leaned back against a nearby bed while Harry complied. The next few minutes passed by in silence as Pomfrey ran her scans, looking more and more confused as time passed. Only when the door burst open with Neville's reentry did anyone dare even breathe loudly. Neville gave an apologetic look as the interrupted Pomfrey glared at him then resumed the scan.

"Err…Is it bad?" Harry finally asked.

"You have a very odd mix of potions in your system, Potter," Pomfrey explained.

"Odd?" Harry asked.

"Very odd. I certainly hope you weren't intentionally taking a female fertility potion," Pomfrey said.

Harry's eyes grew wide. "Err…Definitely not."

"That's the only one I can really make out," Pomfrey said, frowning deeply. "They've all mixed too well into your system to tell them all apart. I have a feeling one of them is the first in the set of gender changing potions."

"_What_?"

"Someone's trying to turn Potter into a girl?" Draco asked.

"He's not yet, is he?" Neville asked.

"I'm not!" Harry exclaimed.

"He's not. And he won't be," Pomfrey promised. "You would have to take a series of potions over an extended period of time to complete the change. There are short term gender changing potions but this is a more permanent solution, for those who mean to remain the opposite sex for the remainder of their lives. You only have the first in your system, which would account for any moodiness or other strange feelings both emotionally and physically."

"So…Again…Someone's trying to turn Potter into a _girl_?" Draco demanded.

"It would seem so," Pomfrey said.

"But _why_?" Draco asked. "That wouldn't do much good. If they wanted to play a prank they could always use the short term potion."

"Yeah, but if he wanted to change back into a bloke wouldn't it take just as long a process?" Neville pointed out.

"Yeah. So a really mean joke," Draco relented. "Maybe. But still. If someone wanted to do something bad to Potter, there are plenty of other ways to go about it!"

"You would know," Harry said teasingly. Draco snorted. As Harry's face morphed into one of sickness, Draco took on a look of disgust and tried to back away. Only realizing he was against a bed, did he hop onto it and slide out on the other side. Harry began to gag a bit, causing Pomfrey to summon a bucket, but nothing came up. He did curl onto his side in a ball as his stomach started acting up again. It felt as though it was on fire. His insides had to be twisting and turning into a tight knot and something kept pulling and pulling on either end. It was never going to end, he swore. He had suffered stomach pains the past few days, but nothing to this extent.

"Come now, you'll be alright," Pomfrey said soothingly, bringing a clear phial to his lips. "Here, this will relax you. That's it. Settle down so I can see what's wrong. It might be the combination of potions that's causing you to react this way, but let's take a look."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Ginny? You awake?"<p>

Ginny sighed heavily then rolled onto her back. Grace Potter stood beside her bed, hesitant between the hangings. Without needing a verbal answer, Grace grinned and hopped into bed beside her, closing the hangings back around them.

"What is it, Grace?"

"D'you know Hermione and Ron are talking again?"

Ginny blinked. "They are?"

"Mhm! Very civil. You should be proud. They're acting like friends again, I think."

"When the bloody hell did that happen?" Ginny asked, sitting up.

"I dunno. Tonight, probably. She was still glaring at him when I went to bed."

"Speaking of which, why aren't you in bed?"

"I was bored! I can't sleep."

"And why not?"

"I dunno. I think I'm just excited!"

"And why are you excited?"

"Because! I heard from Romilda Vane that Dennis Creevey is going to ask me out tomorrow!"

"Oh really? Whatever happened to your soul mate?"

"Astoria? Well, she thinks I'm loony so there's no point trying to make it work," Grace said with a shrug. Ginny had a feeling it was still bothering her though. While Grace _was_ an annoying brat, Ginny still cared about her like a sister because Harry was practically her brother, as well. She was fully prepared to offer some comfort and promises of listening and giving advice. Grace beat her to the punch. "So what's going on with you and Draco?"

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked irritably. Draco Malfoy was the last thing she wanted to talk about. Or even think about, really.

"Don't you like him?"

"Yes."

"Well, of course you do. He's very fit. _Anyway_! He likes you, too. I know so. I overheard Astoria telling her sister when I was following her the other day."

"Are you _stalking_ her?"

"No! I was only trying to get her to talk to me but I needed to get her alone, so I had to follow her and Daphne! Anyway, they were saying how much you both like each other but you're too scared to do anything about it."

"It's hardly that," Ginny grumbled, lying back down. "It's just…complicated."

"Love's always complicated! But it's worth it. That's what my mum says anyway."

"Your parent's marriage isn't this complicated."

"How would you know?"

"I know them, Grace."

"Well…What's the problem? Give 'em to me!"

"You know the problem!"

"Tell me!."

Ginny sighed heavily, shook her head, and lay silently for a few minutes. The longer this went on, though, the more impatient she became. She began rocking back and forth, humming, whistling, scooting closer to Ginny, and finally whining. "Come _on_, Ginny! I'm trying to help!"

"Merlin help me," Ginny grumbled. "Okay, fine. Hermione is my best friend and Draco, the guy I like, is her soul mate."

"So?" Grace said. "Blaise is your soul mate but you're not dating."

"They're also bonded," Ginny added.

"So what? Let's see. Harry and Snape are bonded but they're not dating."

Ginny was tempted to tell Grace that they _had_ shagged but that was not for the thirteen year old's ears. Besides, Grace was right. They weren't dating. They would _never_ fall in love. That whole idea was laughable. Besides, wasn't Ginny one of the biggest supporters of the fact that soul mates didn't have to have any sort of relationship?

"They're having a baby together," Ginny pointed out.

"So?" Grace said, grinning. She was obviously pleased to have this opportunity. "Plenty of people out there date people who have kids!"

"This kid isn't even born!"

"Well. They're not dating. Should they be expected not to date anyone else until the child is a certain age?" Grace asked.

"Well…I don't know. It seems…Ugh. I really don't know."

"That would be silly! If the parents aren't together, they can't stop each other from dating other people. _And_ I heard that Hermione gave you permission!"

"You know a lot of things that aren't your business, don't you?" Ginny mumbled.

"Yep! But it's very useful," Grace promised with a smile. "What else?"

"Well…I think Hermione might…she might like him, too," Ginny admitted.

"If she liked him, would she have told you to date him?"

"Well…Yeah. Especially if she's just as confused as I am."

"But that's just it! She's confused! She wasn't even over Ron by the time they started hanging out. And she and Ron are getting all friendly again!"

"Ron's married, Grace."

"And? It's not like he really loves Hannah."

"Merlin, this family is really messed up," Ginny sighed.

Grace giggled. "True. But most families are. Anyway, do you see?"

"See what?"

"It's okay to date Malfoy! All that matters is if you really want to be with him."

"Of course I do!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! It's just…with everything…it seems really, really wrong."

"Of course it does. And I'm sure everyone will talk. But you have to decide what's best for you and not worry about anyone or anything else."

Ginny relaxed in bed, letting what Grace said sink in. "You know…That wasn't half bad, Gracie."

Grace beamed. "Why thank you! Want to go spy on Ron and Hermione?"

"Leave them alone, Grace."

Ignoring her, Grace jumped out of bed. "I'll let you know if anything interesting happens!"

Ginny just sighed, but didn't try to stop her.

* * *

><p>"What exactly was the nature of this attack, Mr. Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked carefully.<p>

In the move to examine his stomach, she seemed to have discovered something else. Harry's brows furrowed in confusion. "Err…They chased me down the hall and…threw spells at me?"

"Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Malfoy, would you mind giving Mr. Potter and myself some privacy?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"No, it's fine. They can stay. What is it?" Harry demanded, heart jumping around erratically.

"This is a very sensitive subject, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey explained gently.

"I think she wants to know if you were raped," Draco said.

Madam Pomfrey looked frustrated. Harry's eyes grew wide. "Really? How do you…?"

"Makes sense. She mentioned the nature of the attack, her wand was over your lower regions, wanted privacy, mentioned it being a sensitive subject…made sense to me," Draco shrugged.

"No, I wasn't raped," Harry assured her, heat rising to his face. He was starting to wish he had allowed her to send Neville and Draco away.

"Are you sure? Is something wrong?" Neville asked anxiously.

"I'm fine…Just…errr…was having a bit of fun before…before everything," Harry confessed.

"A bit rough?" Draco teased with a smirk. "If Madam Pomfrey has to question it…"

"Shut it, Draco," Harry snapped.

"Draco?" the Slytherin repeated in surprise.

"It's your name, isn't it?"

"Yes, but you never call me that."

"Well, when half of my friends refer to you as that, it's kind of hard to remember what I'm 'supposed' to call you," Harry muttered sarcastically. He couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed about the whole thing, from everyone hearing about his sex life to calling Malfoy by his first name.

Draco shrugged. "I don't mind, I suppose. It _is_ a good name. I don't blame you for…"

"Gentlemen, I have a scan to complete," Madam Pomfrey reminded them. "Hush or you can wait outside., which I should have made you do to begin with."

The boys nodded, falling silent as Madam Pomfrey returned to her searching. Her brows furrowed in confusion after a few minutes. "It can't be," she muttered.

"Can't be what?" Harry asked but Madam Pomfrey didn't reply and, instead, continued looking, then muttering a new spell. Her eyes now grew wide, both Neville and Draco peering curiously at what she was looking at. There was a sort of dark pink glow around his stomach with blue violet circles in it. Harry stared at it, not sure what it meant, but feeling his pulse race in fear. It had to be bad from the look on Pomfrey's face. Neville didn't seem to understand it, but Draco's face lit up in sudden realization and shock.

"That's impossible," Madam Pomfrey whispered, shaking her head and performing the spell again.

"What's impossible?" Harry demanded irritably.

"Maybe try the potion?" Draco suggested.

"It's not as reliable as…but maybe…to be sure," Pomfrey muttered. She quickly shook her head and walked away.

"What's going on?" Harry demanded.

"I…I saw it…in one of Hermione's books," Draco muttered.

"What _is_ it?"

"You really shouldn't worry. It's not even possible. Madam Pomfrey will get the potion and prove it."

"Prove _what_?" Harry snapped.

"You'll see," Draco muttered.

Harry wanted to rip his pretty blond hair out of his head. Neville patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Just give them a minute, Harry. He's trying to be nice."

"For once," Harry muttered.

Draco glared. "I am _not_ nice."

"Here we are, Mr. Potter. I'm afraid we'll have to prick your finger for this one," she said. A moment later she was holding Harry's bleeding finger to the mouth of the phial with a pale yellow potion inside. Once a few drops were inside, she placed the top back on and shook it carefully. The potion began to turn orange then, slowly, became a pale blue-violet. Madam Pomfrey paled at the sight of it, everyone just staring at it for a while.

"Is that really…?" Neville asked.

"What is it?" Harry snapped in a panic.

"Mr. Potter…It would seem that…despite it's…impossibility that…" Madam Pomfrey began.

He had never seen her at such a loss for words before.

"Potter, you're pregnant," Draco said, trying to come off as blunt and confident, though his tone shook and was just as mystified as the others.

"_What_?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Sorry for the wait! It wasn't as long this time so I think I did good! I still don't have my outline completely done so I can't be sure how steady my updating will be until I get a good ways into it, but I'm hopeful that things will steadily get better.

I'm so close to 500 reviews so I'm very happy! I still have that 40 reviews per chapter and the "essay" review as a goal though! ;) Haven't been reached yet, but I'm hopeful! Lol anyway I am very grateful to all of my reviewers! Thanks so much Tokugawa Blitzer, Belladonna1185, lirio de amor, dogsby, autumngold, Sirius-dorkis010, AlmondWithUnicornHair, Sdm90, Sydney-Jo, Anonymous, Nocturnal Rose, Clockpart, Gemini Peverell, sev's-sexy-mistress, Anniriel, Ravenclaw Samurai, Hannah, Harmonie-Dream, Firerosemon, Lady DestinyHope, TrinityMarie, Draechaeli, Micale, Sheankelor, IceprincessIsis3, xXxElectraxXx, vampy-chan17, Iglak17, and Imalena.

Another big thanks to my wonderful beta Dani!

Don't forget you can like me on FB for updates on all of my stories!


	29. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT**

* * *

><p>It had already been stated that male pregnancy was impossible. Harry had asked Madam Pomfrey when the silly idea had first come to mind. Now they were saying he was pregnant? The last he checked, he was still fully male. Surely Snape would have noticed and said something if he wasn't! Unable to help himself, Harry reached down then pulled up his trousers and underpants just enough to glance down. He definitely still had a penis. Glancing up incredulously at the others, he was met with a half amused, half stunned snort from Draco, a confused Madam Pomfrey, and a wide eyed Neville. Pomfrey muttered to herself, returning to her scan while glancing back to the potion now and then. The others were too speechless to bother saying anything for a few minutes, only watching her as she looked Harry over.<p>

"Mr. Potter, I would like to do a fully body scan now. Misters Malfoy and Longbottom, you may wait elsewhere," Madam Pomfrey finally said.

"But…I can't be pregnant. I'm a bloke," Harry finally said.

"I am aware of this, Mr. Potter. However, I…I should do a quick look over," Pomfrey explained.

"She wants to see if you really are a bloke, I think," Draco said.

"Shut up Dr…Malfoy."

"Too late, you already started calling me Draco," the blond smirked.

"Enough, boys!"

"I have a…you know what, Madam Pomfrey. You really don't need to look," Harry quickly said, facing heating up when he realized he would have to be naked.

"If you would feel more comfortable with a male checking I can see if Professor Snape is still awake and…" Madam Pomfrey began.

Draco coughed. "I don't think that will be necessary."

Harry shot Draco a suspicious glare. Neville and Madam Pomfrey looked confused. "How do you…What do you…I mean. No. No one needs to look. I have a c…penis. Okay? I just…I was just…I just had sex, okay? It's still there!"

"Well, I would like to see if…"

"Even if I was growing anything extra I'm sure S…_someone_ would have noticed while we were…You know," Harry said uncomfortably, unable to meet Pomfrey's eyes, squirming beneath her hard look.

"Now is hardly the time to be embarrassed, Mr. Potter," the matron said firmly. "You've nothing to be ashamed of. What you fail to realize is the significance of this. There has never, in history, been a case of male pregnancy. Boys!" She glared at Draco and Neville who looked ready to protest. "Any rumors you have heard are nothing but nonsense! Myths told to scare men and women out of homosexual relations by foolish, prejudiced. Ahem. It is physically impossible for a male to carry a child. I would like to not only look you over but perform a more accurate scan of your body to see…How this could be possible. This is a very serious matter! We have no idea how dangerous this can be! We don't know if there is something wrong with you! I am still not entirely sure it is a baby…"

"So I might not be pregnant?"

"You shouldn't be!" Pomfrey exclaimed irritably. "You will have to let me look."

After a few more minutes of calming Harry's nerves, Neville and Draco were sent to sit on a nearby bed while Madam Pomfrey pulled the curtains around the bed and went about checking Harry. There was nothing more awkward than lying there naked for the mediwitch's eyes. She was professional, sure, but it was still strange. Especially when she would notice a mark and tisk. Then when she had to perform a cleaning spell since Harry had been too tired to do a very good job of it himself before leaving Snape's chambers. She started poking around _down there_, which was humiliating. He moved around, was half ready to jump off the bed, but was stopped by a sharp glare from Pomfrey that assured him she would strap him down if need be. Finally, she got him into a thin gown and began a more intense scan. The glow from the scan was so bright he had to remove his glasses, close his eyes, and hold his arm over them. It wasn't necessarily painful but it was on the verge of it, leaving him feeling lightheaded and nauseous. He focused on breathing deeply, telling himself it would all be over soon and throwing up everywhere was not a good idea. The scan lasted far longer than he had hoped and he breathed a deep sigh of relief when it finally ended.

He heard the curtains open but didn't remove his arm for several minutes. After everything he had been through tonight, he felt completely rotten. There was the sound of rustling nearby, whispers, and the scratching of a quill against parchment. Finally, he felt a cool hand on his shoulder, prompting him to slowly slide his arm from his face, squinting up at the concerned expression on Neville's face.

"So?" he asked, sitting up, gratefully taking his pants as Draco handed them to him.

Madam Pomfrey sighed heavily as she continued writing down notes, only looking up at him when she was finished. "You are, indeed, pregnant. Your internal organs have…changed, slightly, to allow the growth of the…You don't seem to have any external female…Well…At the moment, everything seems to be…as fine as it can be."

"Meaning?" Harry asked.

"Meaning, you're perfectly healthy," Madam Pomfrey said slowly. "There is nothing to explain why you are now pregnant, how you will give birth, or anything of that nature. All I know is that you are. We should probably contact St. Mungo's…"

"No!" Harry interrupted. "No. I don't…No one else can know. This is…This is just…"

"They are very professional at St. Mungo's, Mr. Potter. The media will learn of nothing from them, though how you imagine you can hide this is beyond me. This is beyond my area of expertise. We need people will a more broad knowledge, someone who can do the proper research…with the time and the resources to aid you. This is no simple matter," Madam Pomfrey said. "Unless you intend to abort the pregnancy."

His gut twisted there. "I…I dunno what I'll do. But I…I couldn't…Could I?"

"No one would blame you," Draco snorted.

"Only you can decide what's best for you, Harry," Neville said carefully, though Harry got the feeling he didn't exactly approve of the idea.

Abortion was disturbing to him, though he had never expected to find himself pregnant. There was too much he had to think about and the news hadn't fully sunk in yet.

"That is up to you," Madam Pomfrey said. "If you intend to go through with this pregnancy we will _have_ to bring in someone from the outside."

"Hey…What about…I mean…Well, Cedric…He was really good with, you know, the pregnant women and babies in his training," Neville said proudly. "What if he…He's almost done with his training with Healer Mourey. He was thinking of doing another year of training elsewhere and maybe…Well, he's no official healer yet, but he's very good. I trust him, I think Harry trusts him, and he would be willing to help."

"What we need is a fully trained, seasoned professional healer, Mr. Longbottom," Madam Pomfrey said.

"No one's going to know anything about this as it is," Neville said. "They'd treat him like some…lab rat or something. Cedric…Well, I think he'd be very good. He's really smart. And as for research…Well, Hermione will be all over that the minute you tell her, anyway."

"That's true," Harry laughed nervously.

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and considered both Gryffindors. "Would you feel more comfortable, Mr. Potter, if Mr. Diggory were to come here and oversee your pregnancy?"

"That would be great, actually. I do trust him," Harry said.

"Hmm. Very well. I wouldn't mind 'training' Mr. Diggory. If he knows as much as you say he does about childbirth, then he could be an asset. This is the second pregnancy this year. I haven't had to deal with teen pregnancies very often, you know."

Her tone seemed a bit scolding, making Harry glare at the opposite wall for a moment. This wasn't his fault! He didn't even know he could get pregnant. No one did. It wasn't Hermione's fault, either. The bond had made her sleep with Draco and it had only been once! As the matron hadn't actually said anything negative, Harry couldn't argue, though he felt the need to defend his friend, as well as himself. Things just happened sometimes. Their predicaments were especially unexpected. No one could say they had been careless. Especially not for Hermione. Harry fully understood how the bond worked against you in that way. He had fallen victim to it on a few occasions himself.

"Now, I'm sure you will ask Mr. Diggory yourself, but I will also send him a formal invitation," Madam Pomfrey explained. "I will have to inform the headmaster as well as Professor Snape. He can help me find out what potions are all in your system. Though I must tell you…Aside from the fertility and sex changing potions, I did discover a potion ladies use while menstruating. From what I've seen, as well as knowing the potions in your system, the fertility and menstruation potions do have a history of resulting in multiple births. I am positive you are carrying twins, if not more. With all of the potions that _are_ in your system, as well as your attack tonight, you and your child or children are lucky to be so healthy. I must urge you to be very cautious with everything you eat and drink from now on. Stop by tomorrow and I will teach you a very good method of checking these things. Also, stop taking any potions you might have at the moment, no matter what. We can go over everything when you come by again tomorrow."

"Err…Can you not tell Snape it's _me_ right now?" Harry asked.

"Mr. Potter…"

"It's…Well, he is…It's just…I can't explain. But he'll know eventually. Just…for now?" Harry asked.

"Very well," Madam Pomfrey sighed. "If you do continue with this pregnancy, you must realize that everyone will know eventually."

"Aren't there charms or something that can…hide all of that?" Neville asked.

"Yes, but I would strongly urge Mr. Potter not to do that. We don't know what we're dealing with here at all. We must proceed with the utmost caution," Madam Pomfrey said, then glaring at Harry. "That means I expect you to be extremely careful."

"Yes, ma'am."

Five minutes later, Harry was walking down the corridors with Neville and Draco in silence. Pregnant. Him? It didn't make any sense. Surely, it was wrong. There was _something_ else wrong, he just knew it! He couldn't have a baby. It went against everything he knew. That didn't even include…Merlin, there was just so much wrong with it. He didn't even have the energy to really think about it much right now. They would all go to bed, he would sleep, and he could deal with it all tomorrow.

* * *

><p><em>Dear Neville,<em>

_I have to admit, as much as I would like everyone to get along, the majority of Slytherins are just hard for me to picture doing so with. I don't mean to sound prejudiced, but do be careful with Draco Malfoy. There have been too many rumors about the family to completely ignore. That isn't to say you shouldn't try being his friend. I do think it's great of you. Just keep your eyes open._

_Madam Pomfrey did send me the invitation and I gladly accepted. I never imagined I could end my training at Hogwarts. I never heard of anyone training there before. It's a dream come true, really. I do admire Madam Pomfrey. Not to mention Harry Potter's condition. Not to question her judgment, but is she __sure__ he's pregnant? It's so hard to believe. Guess I'll see for myself soon enough. I'll be there within a month's time. Healer Mourey has even agreed to finish my training early to accommodate the new plans. _

_Also, I would love to go to Hogsmeade with you. Though I have to ask if you were asking me on a date or not. Because if not I might just have to ask you on one myself. I do remember something being mentioned about a crush. There won't be any hard feelings if that's not the case anymore, but I think I have feelings for you. I would love to go on a date with you, if you'll let me. Regardless of what we label our outing, I look forward to seeing you again. Especially when we have the opportunity to work on our bond. It is such a shame I've been too busy to do much lately, because it is very interesting and it's somewhat exciting to imagine what we could do with it. Have you heard anything from the others? I'm curious about how the other bonds are playing out._

_My parents haven't budged on their stance concerning the bonds. They haven't stopped contacting me, but they refuse to respond to any mention of soul mates or bonding. Mary is making great progress with Frank. We're not sure if the plan is working, but she's doing well with Legilimency. Frank seems different. Not cured, but different enough to give us some hope. Please tell me that makes you happy. _

_Sincerely,_

_Cedric_

Neville was grinning like an idiot as he reread Cedric's letter for the tenth time. It had been almost a week since he had written to him with the news of Harry's pregnancy. Considering how long ago he had sent the letter asking the other wizard to Hogsmeade, Neville half expected him not to respond. Now that he had, Neville was floating on Cloud 9. He couldn't be happier. First of all, Cedric wanted it to be a date! He liked him! Plus Cedric would be at Hogwarts before too long to finish his training, meaning they would get more time together. Not only _that_, but things with his father were better! It wasn't much but any progress was a blessing. He couldn't be more grateful to Mary Macdonald for what she was doing. Neville was going to have to send her a thank you letter. Life could not get any better for him.

"What are you so happy about?"

Neville looked up from the letter then quickly refolded it and shoved his hands between his knees. Not that he didn't trust Daphne. He wouldn't mind sharing his news about Cedric with her. But the information about Harry was Harry's business. Until he was ready to tell people, Neville wasn't going to bring it up. Not even to Harry himself. He seemed to be having a hard time swallowing the news, not that Neville blamed him. The whole thing was very bizarre! Poor Harry had been so quiet, so withdrawn lately. Everyone was worried about him. It took Neville a lot of work keeping the others away from Harry, urging them to leave him alone, give him time to breathe and to think, that he would come to them when he was ready. Ginny and Hermione were harder to deal with, very persistent and eager to run to their friend's aid. Neville always managed to talk them out of it, though.

"Cedric and I have a date," Neville confessed, still grinning. Daphne sat down beside him under the tree, slowly grinning and nudging him softly.

"Really? That's great! What all did he say?" Daphne asked.

"Oh just that…just asking if I was asking him out because if not he wanted to ask me out because he has feelings for me," Neville explained happily. Even now, he couldn't keep the grin from his face. It had been there so long his whole face was starting to hurt but the pain was worth it. Honestly, he could not remember the last time he had been so giddy. The excitement and the joy were so real he could have easily bounced all over the grounds shouting the good news at the top of his lungs. Only his shyness, wanting to avoid attention and being the center of any gossip, kept him restrained. "Said that no matter what I said he looked forward to seeing me again."

"Aww! You're blushing!" Daphne giggled, reaching out to lightly pinch his cheek. She was smiling brightly herself, pushing her caramel curls out of her face as the wind blew. "So what are you going to say? As if it isn't obvious."

"Well, I'll agree that it's a date. And tell him that, yeah, I still like him. A lot," Neville laughed. "I'm happy."

"I hadn't noticed," Daphne giggled. "You're so happy it's making me happy! You're contagious!"

"Maybe I should go spread the good vibes then," he said. Merlin knew they needed it. All of their friends seemed to be upset lately. Not that Neville or Daphne could blame them. There had been so much drama in their group in the past few months with more surprises and hardships than anyone should have to deal with in the time span of a year or, maybe, even more. They didn't have to say it for them to share the feeling that things were not going to get better anytime soon. The conflicts hadn't even been resolved and, the way things were going, they wouldn't do so peacefully.

"Well, come on then. No need to sit by yourself when you have good news to share," Daphne said, laying her head on his shoulder for a few seconds then sitting up to look at him.

"I might later," Neville said. "I've been trying to work out a reply. Only I can't stop reading his letter."

"Can I see it?"

He frowned. "Err…I wouldn't usually mind, but it has other information in it that…Well, it shouldn't be for anyone else's eyes."

"Oh really?" Daphne asked suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh stop it. You're just as perverted as the rest of them, aren't you?" Neville accused teasingly.

"I'm a closet perv, sorry," she replied with a shrug. "I suppose I can give you your privacy." She gave him a peck on the cheek. "Meet me after lunch? Maybe we can make plans on cheering everyone else up?"

"Sounds good. Thanks, Daph," he said gratefully.

"No problem, Nev!" she said, getting to her feet and walking off. Midway towards the castle, she stopped to wave before jogging to catch up with her younger sister. Neville watched her until she was out of sight, musing on how far things had come. For six years, all Gryffindors and Slytherins had been automatic rivals. Maybe even longer than that. He couldn't remember the last time the two houses had mingled. He couldn't be more happy to be friends with Daphne and now Draco, maybe. Most of her Slytherin friends had never really treated her the way friends should treat each other. While most of her house had turned against her, as well as Blaise and Draco, Daphne looked much happier these days. Of course, part of that could be her communication with her own soul mate, Charlie.

Speaking of pen pals and romance, Neville turned back to read the letter yet again before grabbing his quill for the twelfth time then holding it over his parchment. He had to write something but it was hard to think of anything adequate. After several minutes of staring down at the blank sheet, Neville sighed then dropped the quill once more. He had a feeling he was going to be out here a long time.

* * *

><p>At lunch, Draco had barely eaten anything when he received the letter from home. Reading the first line, he could go no further. Silver gray eyes were wide in shock, his already white face paling further. Blaise and Daphne turned to him curiously.<p>

"If this keeps up, his face will be stuck like that," Blaise muttered, shaking his head.

"You alright, Draco?" Daphne asked, hesitantly reaching out to touch his shoulder. His fingers only tightened around the parchment. He pressed his lips tightly together then swallowed hard, slowly beginning to nod. "You don't look very well."

"I wonder why," Pansy said loudly. Before anyone could stop her, Pansy grabbed the letter out of his hands and jogged down the side of the table before anyone could do anything. Her dark eyes ready read over the letter, the content causing her to giggle madly. The other Slytherins, and a few Ravenclaws, turned to stare at her. Draco just stared at his hands in disbelief, then down at Pansy.

"What the bloody hell?"

"Pansy took your letter," Daphne said.

"Pansy…What? But my father…Wait. No! Pansy!"

"Oooh you naughty boy!" Pansy called down to him. Clearing her throat dramatically then standing up onto the nearest empty chair, Pansy began to read aloud. "_Dearest Draco. Your mother and I are very disappointed that you knocked up the Mudblood_…The Mudblood being Hermione Granger, you know. _I cannot believe that my so_…"

"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore roared, rising to his feet. "Miss Parkinson, return that letter to its owner. Fifty points from Slytherin!"

He had to shout over the noise. The announcement made by Pansy had the room buzzing with gossip. Heads turned towards each other, leaning in to whisper loudly, all eyes moving from Draco to Hermione. The former just sat in his seat, as though he was still trying to catch up on the events that had taken place since reading the letter. Meanwhile, the latter was choking on her food, being pounded on the back by an ever helpful Ron Weasley. Her face was bright red, chocolate eyes staring at the middle of the table, her entire slender body stiff. Even those across the room, though, could see the violent tremble in her arm as she struggled to put another spoonful of peas into her mouth.

Pansy, looking pleased with herself, stepped back down, walked towards Draco, and dropped the letter in front of him. It had been a long time since anyone had seen Dumbledore look so furious. "SILENCE! Miss Parkinson, you will go straight to my office immediately."

Her face faltered but Pansy nodded then walked quickly from the Great Hall followed shortly by the headmaster. The whispers had quieted only somewhat at the sound of Dumbledore's commanding voice but once he was gone they were louder than ever.

"Draco, are you okay?" Daphne asked quietly.

"Stupid," muttered Blaise.

"I thought he was dating Ginny Weasley!" exclaimed Susan Bones from the Hufflepuff table.

"Not yet. Probably not ever now," Hannah replied sadly.

"I thought she was supposed to be the smart one," Morag MacDougal from Ravenclaw.

"It's always the 'good' girls isn't it? That end up in this kind of trouble?" scoffed Padma.

"Are you _really_?" Lavender whispered to Hermione.

Hermione said nothing. That was all the confirmation they needed.

"I can't believe you slept with Malfoy!" Parvati went on in disgust.

"Hey, at least she can get someone to shag her," Ron defended.

Hermione slapped his arm. Ron looked to her in surprise. "Hey!"

"Ron, mate. Not a good time," Harry warned.

"I could if I wanted to," Parvati said defensively. "Only I'm not a slut."

"Neither is Hermione," Harry spat angrily.

"Did you _really_ sleep with a _Mudblood_?" Nott laughed.

"Don't call her that, you prat," Daphne muttered.

"What was that?" Nott taunted.

"She called you a prat. Now shut it," Blaise snapped.

"Well she's the one who got pregnant!" Lavender said.

"Stop talking about it. You don't know anything about the situation," Neville said as calmly as he could, having to raise his voice slightly to be heard over the rest of the chatter.

"There's no excuse for _that_ kind of behavior," Lavender said.

"What kind of behavior? We all know you've slept with half of our year," Ron snapped.

"I have not!"

"Don't talk about her that way! Lav's not like that," Parvati said.

"Weren't you bragging about how easy she was, Seamus?" Ron said.

Seamus looked alarmed, looking between Ron and Lavender. "Ummm…"

"Ron, stop it," Neville said.

"Everyone, please!" McGonagall called out. "Settle down or leave this instant!"

"Look, she didn't deny it," Ron muttered while Seamus and Dean quickly left the Great Hall. Lavender glared daggers after him while Parvati had her sights set on Ron.

"You okay, Mione?" Harry asked quietly.

"I…I can't believe that just happened," Hermione squeaked.

"I bet it'll be a pretty baby, Mione!" Grace exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Shut it, Grace," Hermione snapped.

"Wow. What a great mum _you'll_ be," Lavender muttered. "Come on, Parvati."

"Don't worry about them, Mione. I'll keep 'em quiet," Ron promised.

"That's sweet but I doubt there's anything you can do," Hermione said weakly. She placed her elbows on the table then her head in her hands, muttering, "It was going to come out sooner or later. The sooner the better, really."

"How are you?" Harry asked gently.

"I think…I think I'm alright. Rumors can be brutal, sure, but I have more important things to worry about than school gossip. Not sure anything can surprise me too much these days," she confessed.

"So…You're fine?" Harry asked.

"She looks like she's about to have a breakdown," Ron whispered. Hermione glowered at him.

"You don't have to pretend you're fine if you're not. We understand," Neville said.

Hermione smiled. "I know, thank you. But…I think I'll be okay. Really."

Back across the hall, Draco was only just starting to come back to himself. "Did Pansy just…Really?"

"Yes. She did," Daphne said sympathetically.

"That's how things are around here. You weren't exactly smart with that one, just gaping at the letter that way. They sense easy prey the same way we do," Blaise muttered.

"Blaise!" Daphne hissed.

"No. This is what he gets for being an idiot," Blaise snapped. "You know what? I'm out of here."

As he stood up, Daphne spun around to glare at him. "Good riddance. Merlin, Blaise, you are such a fucking arsehole sometimes!"

"Yeah? Well that's nothing on what he is," Blaise snarled.

"Oh Merlin, if you're being a prick because of fucking Ginevra Weasley I swear I will rip off your favorite body part!"

Blaise only sneered. "Later."

"Shite," Daphne muttered. "Come on, Draco. Let's go get you some fresh air."

"I bet he raped her," hissed Lisa Turpin from Ravenclaw, glowering as Daphne linked her arm through Draco's and helped him up.

"His dad is a Death Eater," said Megan Jones from behind her at the Hufflepuff table. The girls turned around in their seats to talk. "Maybe he wants to be a Death Eater too. Have you _seen_ the 'junior' Death Eaters? No one knows who they are exactly 'cause they've never been caught but I've seen them everywhere the past few nights! It's very scary."

"It's not safe here at all, is it?" muttered Padma. "Parvati and I should have gone home when Mother told us to."

As Daphne led Draco out of the Great Hall, Hermione was being escorted by her own friends. She stood in the middle, surrounded by Ron, Harry, Neville, Grace, and Ginny, all glaring at anyone who dared look their way. While no one was exactly shouting at them anymore, they were still whispering, still staring. No one even noticed how close they were getting to the other until Neville bumped into Draco.

"Oh, sorry," he said. "You alright?"

"Let's keep moving," Daphne insisted, pulling Draco out of the hall. The others followed, walking swiftly together towards the front door.

"Draco?" Hermione said timidly.

"I'm fine," he muttered, clearing his throat. "You?"

"Fine," Hermione said, letting out a deep breath.

"Neither of you looks fine," Grace chirped. "But I don't blame you. I hope Dumbledore kicks out that Pansy bitch. I hate her."

"Anyone with half a brain hates her," Ron muttered darkly.

"I can't believe you used to date her, Draco!" Grace said.

"Shut up!" Draco snapped.

"Don't yell at her," Harry said.

"You yell at her all the time, Harry," Ginny reminded him irritably.

"Well, I'm her brother," Harry replied.

"All the same just leave it alone, Gracie," Ginny said.

"Oh boy," Daphne sighed as they opened the doors and stepped outside. It was a beautiful day. Warm, sunny, bright, and too perfect for their current moods.

"There. Let's go sit by that tree," Neville said, leading them over in a half jog towards the nearest tree. They all sat beneath it quietly, glares being exchanged.

"What am I going to do?" Draco muttered.

"Ignore people. That's probably the best you can do," Harry sighed.

"That sounds easier than it actually is," Draco snorted.

"Yes, I know," Harry replied coldly.

"Right," Draco sighed.

"What did the rest of the letter say?" Daphne asked.

"Nothing new. Only expressing their deep disappointment in me, how I've disgraced our family, how I should have never bonded with Hermione, that I'll have to convince her to get rid of the baby or marry her…I think he's rooting for the first one, though," Draco sighed.

"I will _not_ get rid of the baby!" Hermione snapped indignantly.

"I didn't tell you to," Draco retorted irritably.

"And why not?"

The group turned to glare at Theodore Nott who was approaching them, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, a small group of Slytherins trailing behind them. From between Tracey Davis and Millicent Bulstrode, Astoria Greengrass ran forward and fell into the grass beside her sister. The other girls glared at her, causing Astoria to huff and sit tall. Daphne smiled and ruffled her sister's honey blond hair.

"Because it's murder," Hermione said heatedly.

"No. It's getting rid of a problem," Nott replied.

"This _baby_ is a _human being_, therefore making abortion _murder_," Hermione snapped.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Daphne muttered quietly, face turning pink as everyone turned to look at her. "I mean…I'm just saying _if_ you wanted to…It's not like it knows any better. It's not the worst thing in the world. It would be worse to kill someone who's already alive and knows what they're miss…I'm just saying! You don't have to if you don't want; I just mean…You shouldn't…say things like that. Not everyone thinks it a bad thing and you make it sound like a crime or…I just…As you were saying?"

"It _is_ wrong," Hermione spat furiously.

"Yes, well, we all know what happened last year," Tracey said smugly, smirking at Daphne who ducked her head, tears filling her blue-green eyes. Astoria shot Hermione a nasty glare, wrapping her arms around Daphne.

"This isn't a debate about our personal beliefs," Neville said evenly. "Hermione doesn't want to have an abortion and that's that."

"Leave them alone," Draco added.

"Pity," Nott said, grinning at Hermione. His eyes never left her. "To allow such an abomination to be born."

Hermione's mouth moved for several moments, not making a sound. She looked too angry to even make a noise. Draco gaped at Nott a moment before speaking in a low voice. "Abomination?"

"Yes. An abomination. A mistake. A mistake that needs rectifying, don't you agree?" Nott asked. "The Malfoy heir…the only one…and his child will be a half blood. I can't believe you could stand to touch a Mudblood."

"Don't call her that!" several voices rang out.

"I suppose it doesn't matter much," Nott sighed dramatically. "You and your family are traitors, Draco. No better than these people. The enemies. Aside from Potter, though, I'm sure traitors will be the first to go on the Dark Lord's list."

"Is that a threat?" Draco growled.

"Of course not," Nott replied innocently. "It didn't sound like one, did it?"

"Yes, actually, it did," rang a new voice. Blaise Zabini walked towards them from the direction of the lake. "Bugger off, Nott. No one wants you here."

"That's rude," Nott said. "I was just coming to offer service to my oldest friend."

"Service?" Draco repeated.

"Of course," Nott said with a grin. "I was thinking of getting rid of the problem _for_ you. Since you've become too much of a pussy to do so yourself."

With that, the majority of the group scrambled to their feet, most drawing their wands, pointing them at the Slytherins. The Slytherins, in turn, drew their own. Ron and Draco worked their way to the front of everyone, glaring at each other as they stood side by side before turning to face Nott.

"You will not touch Hermione or our ch…child," Draco spat.

"If I see you get near her I'll curse off your bollocks!" Ron barked.

"Whoa, there. Easy," Nott said. "I'm only trying to help."

"Help my arse," Harry snapped. "Leave us alone."

"You know what, Potter? I don't think we will," Nott snarled.

"Oh, I think you will," said a new voice. "Detention, Mr. Nott, and twenty points from Slytherin."

Nott smiled tightly. "I hardly think that's necessary, Black, given that…"

"Professor Black," Sirius corrected sharply, walking between the two groups.

"…these hooligans are the ones who have threatened me," Nott said superiorly.

"Really? I didn't hear anything," Sirius replied. "Lower your wands."

"You didn't hear them threaten me? Well, then…I must ask why _I'm_ being given detention," Nott said.

"For harassing these students, that's what," Sirius said sternly. "Go on. Back to the castle. I expect to see you tonight, Mr. Nott."

Nott glared at Sirius, not lowering his wand. Sirius raised his eyebrow, hand sliding into his own robes. It took an alarmed looking Millicent to grab the back of his robes, pulling him, for Nott to pocket his own wand, shoot a nasty look over Sirius's shoulder, then turned to shove through his friends back to the castle. They watched the group slowly make their way back to the castle, half expecting some to run back or hurl curses at them. Sirius remained with them, standing protectively in front of them, hand still on his wand. Only when the others disappeared from sight did they relax and Sirius turn to them.

"How are you holding up?" he asked Hermione.

"I'm okay, Sirius," she replied.

"And the rest of you?" Sirius asked.

"We're good," Harry said. "They couldn't do much, only riled Hermione up a bit."

"Of course they did," Sirius muttered. "Wish I could say it will get better but the way Snape lets them run off doing whatever they please, they think they own this place. Just stick to groups, keep that mirror on you, Harry. I'll always be able to hear you if there's an emergency. Dumbledore has eyes all over the place. He won't let anything too horrible happen."

"_Professor_ Snape is my godfather, thank you very much, Professor Black," Draco said defensively. "He does not _let_ the Slytherins get away with anything." Disbelieving snorts came from the Gryffindors, causing Draco to glare at them. Ginny giggled causing Hermione to frown. "He more certainly will not let them continue on this way. Regardless of my stance with the other Slytherins, I'm still his favorite, you know."

"Well that might be good for _you_, Draco, but for Hermione…" Harry said.

"And I will ask him to make sure she's alright. Besides, she's carrying my child. I doubt I'd have to ask for him to be sure the newest Malfoy heir is treated well. Even if he is still in the womb," Draco said confidently. "And you probably shouldn't be speaking of your colleagues in such a manner, Professor Black."

Sirius muttered unintelligibly under his breath then looked seriously at Harry. "I better get back. But you know I'm always available if you need to talk." He then grinned and glanced to the others. "All of you, really. Whenever you need me."

"Good to know," Draco commented with a smirk. Sirius glared at him before walking off.

"Must you be so annoying?" Daphne muttered.

"He started it," Draco said.

"At least he's feeling better," Astoria said with a smile.

"That's one way of looking at it," Draco said.

"Am I the only one who got a bad feeling from Nott?" Grace asked.

"He threatened to kill my unborn child. Of course not," Hermione said. "Do you think he really would?"

"Who knows," Draco replied. "Christopher Nott's a Death Eater. Notoriously sadistic. But Theodore's never been so bad. This year he's been acting much worse than usual. I want to say he was just saying it to get under our skin, but…Can't really put it past anyone, can we?"

"Sirius is right. We'll just make sure someone's with you at all times, Mione. No way anyone is going to hurt you," Ron said vehemently.

"You don't need to go out of your way. I'll be fine. I can defend myself," Hermione argued.

"Like you did the night you got pushed down a flight of stairs?" Draco said. "No. You need protection."

"I don't need…"

"Think about our son, Hermione," Draco snapped.

"You don't think I am?" Hermione cried.

"You're more worried about your pride than anything right now," Draco said. "If he's serious…You don't know what…Just…It can't hurt to be safe with it."

"I hate to say it, but Draco might be right," Harry said. "What if Nott was the one who pushed you that night?"

"I…" Hermione said, blinking rapidly. "I…Oh alright. But only in the corridors and outside. Everywhere else I am I'll already have people around me and won't need you all crowding around me."

"Fine. Only when you're places you need it. But you need to promise you'll ask someone to go with you if you're going somewhere. Okay?" Draco said.

Hermione glared.

"I agree with the ferret," Ron said. "We just want you to be safe, Mione."

"Fine, fine, fine," she huffed. "I will proceed with life with the utmost caution from now on."

"Thank you," Draco said.

"Now, I need to head towards Ancient Runes," Hermione said, checking her watch. She then smiled up at the brooding black Slytherin. "Blaise?"

"Since we have the same class, I don't see why not," Blaise replied sarcastically.

"Get over it, Blaise," Draco snapped. "Don't talk to her that way."

"As if you care," Blaise snorted. "C'mon, Hermione."

"Oh before you go, Daphne and I wanted to have a sort of…We were thinking that we can all meet up again tomorrow afternoon. Room of Requirement?" Neville suggested.

"Why is that?" Blaise asked.

"Just to…We think it would be good for everyone," Neville said.

"Please? Just…We want to see something," Daphne said.

"Maybe," Blaise said, extending his arm to Hermione. The witch smiled at him then looped her arm through his. Neither saw the glare that both Draco and Ron sent in their direction. Ginny was too focused on her brother to notice her love interest's jealousy. Grace was watching Astoria who was busy whispering to Daphne, asking if she could come along the next day, to avoid Grace's gaze. Only Neville and Harry seemed to notice, both wizards exchanging a long look that managed to tell each other a lot. Both had a pretty good idea of what it meant, though neither were very sure what to do about the situation. They had their own problems to worry about, anyway.

* * *

><p>The day had been long and difficult for Severus Snape. The Death Eater meeting last night had run later than he hoped allowing him precious little time for sleep, especially since he had to debrief with Dumbledore when he returned to the castle. He had the misfortune of being seated next to Black in the staff meeting that was held before breakfast, inevitably leading to an argument that had to be interrupted by Dumbledore numerous times. His morning classes were insufferable, lunch had been chaotic, and his afternoon classes were unbearable. In his next to last class, Longbottom nearly blew up his cauldron. Weasley was hovering over Granger, making her irritable. Given her apparent pregnancy, as well as the annoyance of Weasley, Severus couldn't fault her much, though he still deducted a great number of potions from Gryffindor.<p>

Another class to go, then he had to have a very long discussion with Pansy Parkinson before writing to her parents to inform them of her transgressions. Severus finished grading the latest essays from his fifth year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw class then began to watch the clock more than anything. At least he had no detentions. He couldn't deal with Potter tonight, even if he could get sex out of it. All he really wanted to do was sit down with a glass of his favorite scotch, read a good book, and sleep.

Unfortunately, when he called time and the students began filing up to his desk, placing their samples down, Potter remained behind. Severus hoped he was waiting for one of his friends, but as the other students trickled out, Severus resigned himself to the fact that Potter was waiting to talk to him. "What is it, Potter?"

"Erm…I need to tell you something," Potter said, swallowing hard.

"Very well. Tell me," Severus said impatiently.

Potter took a deep breath then slowly let it out. "You have a class coming soon; I won't take much time…Only…I thought you should know that I'm pregnant. So…Bye."

Pregnant?

Poppy had come to him five days ago with a blood sample to look over. Whomever it belonged to had a great number of potions in their system that she wanted him to attempt to decipher. The biggest thing was that the patient was male and _pregnant_. Severus hadn't been sure whether or not to believe her, though he didn't see why Poppy would be lying or playing a joke on him. He was also well aware of her skill in medi-wizardry but it was still a difficult concept to believe. Figuring out the potion was top priority and, if it was true, he had been sure he would see whom it was before too long.

Had he ever expected that Potter would be the one? No. But he should have. Of course, it was _Potter_. Of course, Harry bloody Potter would be the first pregnant male in history. He was also the first and only person known to have survived the Killing Curse. Why _not_ be able to fucking conceive?

"You expect me to believe this?" Severus hissed as Potter walked to the door.

"No. Guess not. Didn't fully believe it myself, to be honest," Potter said with a shrug. "I don't care what you think, really."

"Then why did you tell me?"

"Because, for some reason, I thought you deserved to know," Potter snapped. "So that, maybe, when a baby comes up in…however long…you're not all that surprised! Don't worry, I'm sure a nose like _yours_ is a dominant gene so we're sure to have proof it's yours."

"Why you little…"

"Just shut up, Snape! I don't want to hear it. I have enough to deal with and think about without you being a complete arse to me," Harry said.

"Deten…Fifty points from Gryffindor, Potter," Severus snarled. "And _get rid of it_."

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Potter laughed bitterly. "Let's just kill the only child I'm likely to have because I'm a bloody git without a heart!"

"You must think yourself very amusing, Potter, but I'm not laughing," Severus growled.

"Am I? What the fuck, Snape?" Potter snapped. "I should have known better than to try to tell you anything."

"I do not want children."

"Of course you don't! But this isn't your choice," Potter said. "I don't know what I'm going to do! What I need is someone to help me figure this out because _I don't bloody know_! Most people could probably go to the father of their child to decide things like this but you're such a bloody git…"

"I already told you what to do, Potter!" Severus said in exasperation.

"…I should have gone to my friends, but you know what? They all have their own problems to deal with right now! More problems than anyone should deal with. Can't go to my parents. They'll bloody kill me. _And you_!"

"I had no idea you cared," Severus drawled. "I'm touched."

"Shove off," Potter spat. His hands flew up to his messy hair, pulling at the black stands in frustration. "Look. I only wanted you to know. I'll let you know what I decide when I figure it out."

"What exactly do you expect from me, Potter?" Severus demanded.

"Nothing. I'm not stupid enough to expect anything from you," Potter said coldly. "You have been nothing but cruel to me since we _met_ and I can't even expect you to treat me like a human being when we have sex!"

"Potter!" Severus hissed warningly, glancing up to the door to be sure no one was there, listening in.

"You're just…You're not even human, are you? You don't feel anything. You have no morals. I have _no_ idea why you're in the Order of the Phoenix when I'm pretty sure being a Death Eater suits you much better than anything else," Potter snarled.

"That is _enough_!" Severus snapped furiously. What did Potter even know about the Death Eaters, about him? He didn't have the right to shove that into his face. He didn't know what he was talking about at all.

"No. It's not," Potter said tiredly. "I'm done, okay? My parents were right. I should have _never_ bonded with you. And now I'm just fucked, aren't I?"

"So it would seem," Severus said darkly.

"I hate you," Potter snapped, rubbing his arm. For the first time, Severus noticed the presence of the band back in place around his wrist. Severus glared at it then back up at Potter. Now that it was on his mind, he noticed the stirrings of the bond, though it wasn't as strong as he would expect from their arguing.

"The feeling is mutual," he drawled.

"As if I was worried about that," the boy muttered.

"Don't pout."

"I'm not pouting! Whatever. Sounds like your class is here. I'll see you in a few days, I guess."

"Doubtlessly," Severus muttered darkly. Two very different feelings conflicted within him at the moment. The first was the urge to make the boy stay and has it out until he had nothing left. The other part of him realized that Potter didn't have much left to give as it was. Potter looked too weary, too distracted to give an argument its all. Severus frowned as he watched the brat grab the doorknob. "Potter." The boy turned, giving him a tired look. "The headmaster is notorious for sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. Perhaps it would not be inadvisable to allow him to this once."

Potter looked confused. Was Severus really going to have to spell it out for him?

"You're so worried about 'not having someone to talk to'," Severus mocked him. "Too dense to make your own decisions. A man as controlling as the headmaster, who believes he knows best, would be the prime candidate to deal with your mess. You should have gone to him. It was foolish to come to me."

It wasn't as nice as his suggestion had originally been, but Potter wore on his patience too much.

Green eyes blinked. "Oh. Err…Thanks. I think."

"Do you?"

Potter eyed him suspiciously a moment, lingering where he stood for several seconds before finally opening the door and stepping out. Almost immediately, his next class began to swarm in, muttering quietly and glancing over their shoulders after Potter. Severus rubbed his temples as the brats began to take their seats.

A father. How in the world was he supposed to be a father? It really would be better if Potter just got rid of the child. Severus had never wanted children, never expected to have any. He didn't even know where to begin thinking about all of this. It was tempting to cancel the class and have that glass of wine early. Dreading that time, though, where he would have to face this impending fatherhood. Merlin forbid it would actually happen. Surely, Potter was smarter than to actual have the damnable child? He found himself more eager to throw himself into his work. So he stood, erased the board from last lesson and picked up the chalk to begin writing about the Cattoula Concoction.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Another installment! Slowly getting better about updating!

Reached the 500 mark on reviews! Super excited! Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed! Ilap, Anon, bloody dawn, Snapy90, Ravenclaw Samurai, sev's-sexy-mistress, LeviosaHex, AlmondWithUnicornHair, autumngold, FireboltPhoenix, lalaland, asharaou, Clockpart, Sdm90, Nomercy Sedia, Sheankelor, vampy-chan17, Tokugawa Blitzer, Anniriel, Avery Athena Black, Sydney-Jo, Princess1heart1Hubby, Sirius-dorkis010, FiresburningTouch, veronik, iglak17, musme, Nocturnal Rose, nade-Elainoir, ieatmyfeelings, and Alex you are awesome!

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	30. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER TWENTY NINE**

* * *

><p>Severus glowered at the fireplace as Dumbledore's face disappeared. Just wonderful. He only had an hour to himself before his presence was required in the headmaster's office. Dumbledore had already scheduled a meeting with the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, assuring Severus that he was cutting the meeting short so that they might talk. It didn't take a genius, or Legilmens, to know what Dumbledore was on about. Obviously, he had been informed of Potter's pregnancy then made the correct assumption in who the father was. He wasn't even sure he had it in him to lie. There was no point to it, was there? What would Dumbledore do? Fire him? Somehow, Severus doubted it. Or, maybe, he just didn't care. He was too tired to feel much of anything tonight.<p>

During this hour, he would drink. Slumping deeper into the cushions of his favorite chair, he summoned his favorite bottle of Superior Red that Lucius had supplied him with a few Christmases ago. Unfortunately, he couldn't have enough to get drunk. He muttered bitterly under his breath, wanting nothing more than to send a note to the headmaster telling him to bugger off before getting sloshed. There was nothing he wanted less than to discuss Potter, the bond, pregnancy, or anything of that nature. Didn't he have enough to deal with in life? Hadn't he suffered enough without having this drop into his lap? He wasn't prone to pity parties but there was nothing he craved more than to wallow in his own misery right now. Hadn't he sacrificed enough? Hadn't he done enough to pay for his sins? Wasn't he still paying? Why was the price so high? Severus would be the first to admit the wrongs he had done, just how awful they had been, and had even accepted many things as fitting punishment for it all. But this? This was too much.

He wasn't ready to be a father. He never would be. Tobias Snape hadn't exactly been the greatest example of fatherhood. Even his mother left him with little knowledge of what being a parent should be like. Eileen had been pathetic, neglectful where Tobias had been angry, useless, and abusive. Severus didn't even like children. Then the mother of his child…or father…whatever Potter was, was a child himself! The entire situation was ridiculous.

Perhaps it was a joke. Severus liked to think it was. Men couldn't get pregnant. It didn't make sense. Maybe Potter wasn't really a man after all. He couldn't help but snort in amusement at that thought. Severus sighed heavily then took a long gulp of his wine. Poppy seemed convinced in a way that made Severus doubt it was a prank. The woman couldn't lie to save her life. He rubbed his hand over his face, trying to imagine what could have happened to cause this. With the potions in Potter's system, Severus thought it was obvious that they had somehow caused this. While he had identified all of the potions that had been in his system, though, he hadn't fully discovered how they had caused Potter to become pregnant. That was something he could focus on when the thought of being a parent didn't make him want to destroy his office instead of work in it.

Shoving it all to the back of his mind, Severus leaned his head back against the chair, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath before swallowing more of his wine.

* * *

><p>When Harry decided it was time to tell his friends about his pregnancy, he knew it would be difficult. Even he was having a hard time fully accepting the truth of it. He was a bloke, after all. Trying to imagine that there was a baby inside of him, picturing himself with a rounded stomach, even imagining giving birth was all very hard and just plain awkward. Just because he enjoyed bottoming during sex didn't make him a woman! Even being pregnant didn't make him a woman, though it would make more sense. None of this was exactly normal, even by wizarding standards.<p>

The group had been meeting in the Room of Requirement every couple of days for the past week and a half. It was every student at the school who knew their soul mate. Cedric was with them, as he had moved into the castle today to start his training with Madam Pomfrey tomorrow. Luna Lovegood and Morag MacDougal had joined them at their last meeting when Grace told Morag all about soul mates and helped sneak into Snape's office to help her figure out that hers was Luna. It was a good place to discuss soul mates, bonds, and all of the drama that was going on. Despite the fact that many members of the group hadn't liked each other before, there at least existed some civility. The animosity was at an all time low because it was hard to really hate someone when they understood what you were dealing with better than most of your friends.

It took an hour for Harry to gather the courage to call attention to himself so he could broach the subject. Cedric stood with him carrying various objects that would act as proof of Harry's pregnancy. The announcement was met with blank looks, eye rolls, laughs, and basic disbelief. No one looked very surprised at all, mainly because no one bought it for one second. But Cedric performed the same spell Madam Pomfrey had, showed them various parchments with scan results, and the phial of potion that acted as a pregnancy test. The looks became confused as Cedric explained it all, then confessed that no one really knew for certain what had caused Harry to become pregnant.

"Are…Are you a _girl_, Harry?" Hannah whispered, eyes wide.

"Hannah!" exclaimed Ron, face turning even redder than Harry's was. While Harry was embarrassed, Ron looked furious that his wife would have the gall to ask such a thing. He opened his mouth to say no before Ron blew up but someone else beat him to interrupting.

"Of course not, Hannah," Morag said patiently. "He must be a hermaphrodite."

Harry's face burned hotter. "Err…No. Not really."

"Definitely not!" Ron said firmly.

Luna smiled. "How do you know that, Ron?"

Harry wasn't sure she meant it in any dirty way but Draco and Blaise started sniggering. "Yeah, Weasley," Blaise chuckled. "How _do_ you know?"

"Oi! Shut it! We're on the Quidditch team together…Showers and stuff…You notice things sometimes! Without meaning to. I'm not gay, sheesh!" Ron exclaimed, face looking as though it might burn straight into purple.

"Oh, I bet," Draco snorted.

"It's not possible, though," Ginny interrupted, eying the results Cedric had pinned to the wall. "Men can't get pregnant."

Hermione didn't look all too surprised by the idea, nor did she seem opposed to it. "Actually, I don't see why not," she said clearly. Everyone turned to gape at her. "I mean, really! We live in a world of magic. Even wizards must have thought certain things were impossible until they actually happened."

"But if it could happen, we would have known by now," argued Morag, scrunching her eyebrows together as she tried to see whatever it was Hermione was seeing.

"Not necessarily. Homosexuality was always a very big prejudice in the Wizarding world. Never as big as blood purity in that way but big, nonetheless. Only nowadays is it becoming more…acceptable. If it had happened before, I doubt, in the past, anyone would have come forward about it. _Besides_…No one really thought soul mates or Soul Bonds were real until we came up with this. Personally, I think it might have something to do with the bond."

"Homo…But…Oh Merlin! Harry! You're _gay_?" Ron exclaimed.

"Err…Well…I dunno, really…" Harry said uncomfortably, clearing his throat.

"Well you've obviously had someone's knob up your arse. And you don't know if you're gay," Blaise chuckled.

"Shut up, Blaise!" Ginny hissed.

"The bond?" Cedric said. "I never really thought of that. It could be a possibility. There's so much we don't know about the bond already. It would make sense that a result could be something we had never seen before."

"But he's a…he's a _bloke_!" Grace chimed in. "He's not really made for this, is he? And, Merlin, where's it going to come _out_?"

Almost everyone in the room cringed sympathetically. Harry paled at the thought. "I don't really want to think about that right now," he said weakly.

"There's no use thinking about it because it can't happen!" Hannah said. "There might be something very wrong with him."

"We've always known that," Draco muttered.

"He could be _dying_!" Hannah hissed.

"Erm…I'm not," Harry said.

"Hannah's right! Not that you're dying! But it could be like…like…a tumor or something," Ron said. "Or maybe spending so much time with Snape is giving you stomach problems. Just looking at him makes me queasy."

Draco shot Ron a glare.

"Speaking of Snape," Blaise chuckled. "He's not the father, is he?"

"Ew! Don't even go there, Zabini!" Ron snapped.

Harry turned redder. Only Hermione, Neville, and Cedric seemed to notice. Luna was speaking calmly to an anxious Grace while Morag and Ginny shared a heated whispered discussion. Ron was muttering angrily to a frightened Hannah while Draco continued to glower at them. Daphne and Astoria were glancing at the others, sharing their own quiet conversation that involved a lot of pointing, hand gestures, and shaking heads. Harry was starting to wonder if he should have bothered saying anything at all.

"We did consider other alternatives," Cedric confessed loudly, hoping to get everyone to hear him over their own talking. "But, according to Madam Pomfrey, there is a heartbeat."

"But that doesn't mean it's human!" Ron exclaimed. "Snape could have infected him with something!"

"I'm sure Snape did, but that doesn't mean it's not a baby," Blaise laughed. He was dealing with the news more calmly than everyone else but Harry had a feeling he still didn't fully believe it. The only people who didn't look very bothered by the news at all were Draco, Neville, and Hermione. Even Cedric looked a bit unsure of the whole thing. Harry wasn't sure why _Hermione_ seemed fine with it but he wasn't about to question it just yet.

"So is it definitely human?" Luna asked with a dreamy smile.

"Yes, it is," Cedric said.

"And you don't know what caused it?" Morag asked.

"Not really, no," Cedric said. "Madam Pomfrey believes that the potions found in Harry's system might have something to do with it, so she has Professor Snape studying them to determine if any of the combination of potions _could_ possibly lead to this. Hermione did mention the bond, which could also be a factor. We've also considered spells backfiring."

"Well," Morag said, straightening her rectangular glasses. "Did anyone ever consider the _Ad Muta Corpora_?"

* * *

><p>"Come in, Severus. Have a seat."<p>

The twinkle in those blue eyes seemed absent tonight. While Severus was always somewhat pleased whenever it disappeared, it never did bode well. The potions master frowned deeply as he sat before the desk. "I assume this is about Potter?"

"Do give me a chance to speak, Severus. Indulge an old man," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "I had a very well thought out speech planned."

"I'm sure," Severus drawled. "But if you don't mind, I have a migraine and would rather be done with this meeting as quickly as possible considering who I am speaking with."

"Then I suppose, just this once, I'll cut to the chase," Dumbledore said, folding his hands over the desk. "Are you the father of Harry Potter's child?"

"If it is a child," Severus said. "Then I do believe the boy thinks so."

"Even though, according to Poppy, he is only three weeks pregnant?"

Severus sighed heavily. "Yes."

"Ah. So you have engaged in sexual intercourse with Mr. Potter after confessing to me of your indiscretions after your bonding?"

"That would be a wise assumption, headmaster."

"When I suggested you and Mr. Potter get to know one another, Severus, I did not mean in a sexual manner," Dumbledore said gravely. "There are rules pertaining to teacher-student relations, which you well know."

"I do. But I also know that there are exceptions to every rule," Severus explained impatiently. "Mr. Potter and I share a bond, a very powerful one, at that…"

"And special accommodations are always arranged in matters that such relationships are allowed," Dumbledore interrupted.

"And I would highly encourage it," Severus said dryly. "As Mr. Potter is entirely useless in my classroom, he would not be a great loss, I assure you."

"You and Harry never did care for one another, Severus. What has changed?" Dumbledore asked.

"Nothing has," Severus replied. "I despise the brat. But the bond requires our _copulation_ to remain strong. We have attempted to get along…" _You lie, Severus, you lie_. "…to no avail. Maintaining a healthy, continuous sexual relationship is the only factor that preserves the stability of our bond. We are at war and cannot afford to be at our worst."

"And, even knowing this, you cannot possibly find any common ground? No reason to at least treat one another respectfully?" Dumbledore questioned. By the look in his eyes, Severus could tell the old man already knew all of the answers. He knew of Severus's lies. It was as though he had seen it all. Even being the Occlumens that he was, Severus wasn't sure he could keep someone like Dumbledore out of his mind. Yet he hadn't even felt that prodding. There was a moment of panic in which Severus questioned whether his Occlumency skills were at risk due to his weak bond with Potter, but pushed it aside as silliness. From the disappointed tone of the headmaster, Severus was left feeling some bouts of guilt that were easily pushed aside in favor of his irritation and eagerness to return to his rooms and his Superior Red.

"Even then," Severus replied with a nod.

"I cannot condone such a relationship between a professor and a student. Especially considering your history as well as the fact that neither of you shares any genuine caring for one another," Dumbledore said.

"But you'll do nothing," Severus said. It wasn't a question. He already knew. There was no gratefulness. Somehow, he understood that this wasn't for his own good, and he very well felt as though he didn't deserve something of this nature. During his time with Potter, he never truly focused on the wrongness of it. Never had he once considered that it was against school policy. He knew enough to know they could not be caught. He knew enough to know it needed to remain a secret. But, for once, he had not quite thought the whole thing through. Not once since their relationship began did he think about the consequences should something like this happen. It made him ashamed. Perhaps more for his lack of judgment as well as being caught and a little less for the stress and disappointment in his mentor, though he had the nagging feeling that those were factors, as well.

"No. I will not," Dumbledore sighed. "You're correct. We're at war and there are more important matters to focus on. Let me warn you, Severus…Should you be found out by anyone else, there will be little I can do about it."

Severus nodded.

"Now," Dumbledore said, clearing his throat. "We do need to discuss Mr. Potter's pregnancy. I will ask for his permission before informing the rest of the staff, though there will come a time when they must all be aware of the situation."

"Of course," Severus said. They wouldn't know all of it, though. Dumbledore wasn't going to go around admitting that one of his professors was shagging their golden boy. He had to fight back a smirk at the thought of their faces, not only those of his colleagues, but of the world, if they knew their savior was tied up in such an illicit affair.

"I have spoken with Poppy about this and was curious as to what your thoughts on the matter were," Dumbledore said.

"I think he should get rid of it," Severus snapped.

Dumbledore held up his hands and shot him a warning look. "There is no need for that. I was only asking. I do hope you are not pressuring Mr. Potter into making such an important decision."

"No more than his idiot friends with their romantic, fantastical philosophies on life are influencing him," Severus replied sharply.

The headmaster glared. "Do not try me, Severus. What I mean is what you feel about what caused this. The situation is very unusual."

"I've gone over this with Poppy and am certain she gave you the list of suspects," Severus replied. "The most obvious culprit would be some combination of the potions in his system which I'll be looking into this week."

"Yes, she mentioned that, though she isn't as convinced of that as you are," Dumbledore said. "Continue."

"When his magic was unstable many spells he cast backfired. We considered that one of these occasions caused something that would allow him to become pregnant," Severus replied.

"An unlikely scenario," Dumbledore frowned.

"I concur."

"Any other theories, Severus? It seems so much like you to have a million and one different ideas," Dumbledore said with a small smile.

"I did consider earlier this evening…The theory is a bit unorthodox, would require a great deal of circumstances to have been in place but if Potter had any blackouts at all, and with the _Sexum Mutationem_ Potion, Phase 1, in his system, it is possible that someone performed a Transfer."

The idea was wild, very ludicrous, but so was the idea that a male could become pregnant. Severus frowned, glaring as he saw the return of that sparkle in Dumbledore's bright blue eyes. While the absence of that light was never a good sign, neither was its return.

"Yes. I believe Poppy mentioned that as well…"

* * *

><p>"The what?" Ron asked.<p>

Harry groaned as he recognized the familiar name of the magical procedure Morag mentioned. Only Cedric, Hermione, and Luna seemed to understand what it meant. Hermione muttered under her breath, lurched across the room to grab her bag then began digging around for a parchment, quill, and inkpot to jot down a few notes while sitting cross-legged on the floor, forgetting about the chair she had been occupying entirely. Luna only offered Morag an adoring smile that made the older witch sit up proudly.

Cedric's brows furrowed in confusion. "You mean a Transfer?" Cedric asked.

Understanding dawned on more faces upon hearing the common term for the _Ad Muta Corpora_ procedure.

"But _that_ doesn't make sense either," Ron said confusedly.

"Not entirely," Morag argued.

"But this isn't an organ, this is a baby," Hannah said.

"Technically, he did inherit the organs, as well. He does need the proper workings inside to house the baby, you know," Morag said. "It's very strange but it makes more sense than a male becoming pregnant."

"What _is_ a Transfer?" Grace asked.

"_Ad Muta Corpora_," Hermione began to speak as Morag opened her mouth, earning her a glare from the Ravenclaw, "translates from Latin into _to change the body_. The probably should have been more specific as it has more to do with physical changes inside of a person rather than aesthetics. They probably should have called it _to move from one body to another_, as that's what it does. They probably didn't like the name as much, though," she sighed.

"Umm…What?" Grace asked, blinking.

Hermione set down her quill with an impatient huff. "What a Transfer is would be…like a transplant. It involves moving organs from one body to another through the use of a magical procedure. Actually, it's more like a trade, more often than not, though I suppose it doesn't strictly have to be. But, for people with incurable diseases in a particular area or unfixable damage to organs, can have them replaced by healthy organs from someone else."

"But what does that have to do with Harry?" Grace asked.

"You see, what could have happened was a very long procedure of readying his body and then placing the necessary 'equipment' for pregnancy into him. In all reality, that could very well work if you set it up correctly. What is more likely is that someone moved all of those organs, as well as the baby, into Harry's body. You see, there have been a few instances in history where people have performed Transfers involving live fetuses. Only in extreme cases, such as the mother's body being unable to carry a child to term or even the mother being in danger, thus putting the child at risk. There have been about twenty three cases of this taking place, the most famous being when Rowena Ravenclaw asked her cousin to carry her daughter, Helena, after suffering seven miscarriages."

"So, someone put a baby in my brother?"

"It's a possibility," Hermione admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "It's very dangerous, though. They only suggest using it if it's very necessary, mainly if the life of the mother or the child are already in danger. A Transfer like this endangers the life of all of the participants; the child, the mother, and the surrogate. It isn't always fatal, but it has been known to kill before. There are also instances of issues arising in the pregnancy of the surrogate, the child being born with defects, and the mother suffering long term health issues."

"How many died?" Harry asked curiously.

"Due to the Transfer, a lot, actually, but mainly due to the long-term side effects. Directly from the Transfer, as in during the procedure or right after, about seven, I think. There was one case where the mother, child, and surrogate all died. The baby and surrogate during the Transfer and the mother shortly after she woke up"

Harry cringed. "Wow."

"Why aren't you more worried, Harry? You could have died!" Grace shrieked.

"Is that what happened, Harry?" Hannah asked in concern.

"Wouldn't we have known if something that big was going on? If he was attacked like that we would have heard about it," Blaise said.

"Not necessarily. He could have been abducted one night, been performed upon, Oblivated, and returned to bed before anyone knew any different," Morag said.

"You have a very active mind, Morag," Luna said airily. "The bermenung serangga must like you a lot."

Morag only raised an eyebrow, calmly replying, "They must be."

"I…er…wasn't abducted," Harry said.

"To your knowledge," Morag said.

"Right," Harry said. "Well, no one did any kind of Transfer on me."

"Are you sure?" Draco snorted.

"You should get that checked out," Morag warned.

"Don't worry, Madam Pomfrey already considered it," Harry said with a frown. "She still doesn't really think I'm pregnant so she keeps trying to think of other explanations. She came up with the Transfer earlier this afternoon. She ran a few tests. I'm not completely sure what they were but she said that they claim the baby is mine. Not sure she believes it much, though. So are the…whatever that stuff is."

"What stuff?" Hannah asked.

"The…girl stuff I have in me," Harry muttered, eyes flickering all over the room and refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Harry," Hermione said, sharply glaring at the amused Draco and Blaise, as well as the skeptical Grace, Astoria, and Daphne. "Your body is the way it needs to be to take care of your baby. That's the most important thing."

"Right," Harry said, not feeling as firm about this as her. Sadly, he wasn't even sure if he would keep the baby. It wasn't something he liked thinking about. The whole concept of abortion bothered him a lot. But so did the idea of being pregnant. It wasn't natural. Just thinking about the fact that he had woman parts in him, as well as a _baby,_ was mildly disturbing at best while, at its worst, made him squeamish and barely human. This had to be some odd lifelike dream because this couldn't actually be happening, could it? It didn't feel real. Not at all. He was starting to doubt it ever would.

"But it's not normal!" Ron protested.

"No, it's not," Hermione growled. "But don't you dare make things any harder on Harry than they already are!"

"I'm not doing anything! Only…Wow," Ron said, slumping in his chair. Hannah rubbed his leg soothingly. "Pregnant?"

"If it is real, this is very intriguing," Morag muttered. "This could mean a lot to the homosexual community! To the world, really. Once we find out what caused it, it could really do a lot of good in the world. This opens us up to a world of possibilities. If men can get pregnant then…then…well, just about anything is possible, isn't it?"

"There are a lot of things in this world that are possible, only most human minds are too closed off to really see it," Luna explained. "But don't worry. Father says it's normal and we shouldn't think any differently of people like this. I think it's wonderful, Harry. Congratulations."

Congratulations didn't really seem like a good word but Harry smiled in her direction and nodded. Luna was a very good friend, someone he knew he could count on. He only wished her opinion would be something valued among the others rather than have Blaise snort something about Loony Lovegood. "Umm…Thanks."

"I think there's something going on here," Ron said, eying Harry uncertainly.

"Ronald," Hermione sighed impatiently.

"I agree with Ron," Hannah said. "Maybe you should go to St. Mungo's. They can probably figure it out there."

"I don't _need_ to go to St. Mungo's," Harry snapped.

"It wouldn't hurt, really," Morag said with a frown. "Just to be sure."

"Oh would you all stop it?" Hermione snapped. "He's pregnant! You're going to have to learn to accept it. Even if it is 'weird', we have the proof! There isn't anything else it can be!"

"But what if there is?" Grace asked. "What if it's…What if Voldemort did something?"

There were many shocked exclamations at the sound of the name causing Harry, Hermione, and Grace to roll their eyes. "You're not having You Know Who's baby, are you?" Luna asked.

"Of course not!" Harry snapped.

"That could be it!" Morag said. "Maybe You Know Who cast a curse on Harry to make his body act as though it was pregnant. There are really complicated curses out there. Couldn't there be one to fool all of these tests to make him think that?"

"Why would he want to prank Harry like that?" Hermione demanded sharply.

"Or maybe he put a curse on him to make him pregnant," Astoria suggested.

"If he can get Harry pregnant…" Ron said, paling. The redhead stuttered then swallowed hard. "What about the rest of us blokes?"

"Are you all really falling for this?" Blaise snorted.

"Don't even joke about that, Weasley," Draco muttered.

The rest of the room began to grow even louder, everyone discussing, or arguing, about the whole situation. Harry glared at them irritably. It wasn't good news per se. He hadn't been expecting celebrations. But he was having a hard enough time trying to deal with the situation without everyone else going crazy because of it. Besides, maybe they were right and that was not something he wanted to think about. Being sick or cursed made more sense than actually carrying a baby. He frowned as he glanced to the papers and books Cedric had spread out over a small desk to find that the other wizard was reading through the material intently.

"What do you think?" Harry muttered.

Cedric glanced up tiredly then scratched the back of his head. "Honestly? I don't know, Harry."

* * *

><p>"Did she?" Severus drawled when Dumbledore finished explaining Poppy's theories and tests. A Transfer was a long shot but it had given some small bout of hope. But Poppy had tested both Potter and the fetus. Of course, if someone wanted to work very hard they could have performed numerous curses that would make identifying much about the fetus impossible, instead setting off various tricks to fool anyone testing. The only downside was that this required a lot of energy as well as time and most of the curses were very illegal. Tampering with the truth that much could be too powerful, too useful to criminals, and detrimental in some areas. The famous case of 1898 when Tabitha Bogetti fooled her husband Joffrey into thinking their son, Taggart, was biologically his. Tabitha had been so determined to keep her secret she went to great lengths to prove to Joffrey that Taggart was his. It was only when the son was thirty three and became incredibly ill did the truth come out. Taggart Bogetti died and, shortly thereafter, Joffrey insisted that his wife be arrested, or at least punished in some way, for tricking him all of those years.<p>

Like the Transfer, it was a long shot. It was even more unusual and unlikely than the Transfer itself. Severus sighed heavily then went back to considering his options. "And we are positive it was not a Transfer?"

Dumbledore leaned back in his seat. "Poppy has mentioned performing the test again when Mr. Potter is further along in the pregnancy. It is still very difficult to see much this early in the pregnancy. But that is the general consensus."

"If we're not sure then why are you so confident that it isn't?" Severus demanded irritably.

The headmaster smiled with some amusement. "I expected more from you, Severus. You know very well how unlikely it is. No one within this school, aside from Poppy herself, has the ability as well as the means to perform a Transfer. There are not many people outside of mediwizardry who can. There is no way that Mr. Potter could have been removed from the school grounds since the term began. There is no way anyone else could have gained entry. It is extremely unlikely that a Transfer is the case."

"But not impossible," Severus reminded him.

The old man chuckled. "Of course not."

It was clear that Dumbledore found him _amusing_. Severus scowled, reclining back in his seat. "There are means of fooling tests, headmaster."

"This is true," Dumbledore agreed with a nod.

"There could be any number of means, magically or naturally, that Potter's body is reacting the way it is. Even magical scans could be fooled by particular issues. He might not be pregnant at all."

"It is a possibility, though not very probable," Dumbledore explained.

"Rare, certainly. But not impossible," Severus agreed. "It's early yet in the 'pregnancy.' It might not be a fetus at all."

"Poppy was certain she heard a heartbeat from it," Dumbledore reminded him.

"She could be wrong," Severus said certainly, feeling more and more relieved the more he thought about it. It had to be the case.

"What precisely could explain what Poppy heard then, Severus," Dumbledore asked kindly.

Severus glowered at him. "Any number of things. Particularly if it was someone's goal to have us believe that this is the case."

"But why would they want to, I wonder?" Dumbledore questioned.

"To frighten him, I'm certain," Severus drawled. "To weaken him. If he was under the impression he was carrying a child, he's certainly too much of a Gryffindor to be at all concerned for his own health or safety."

"Wouldn't he be more concerned for his own health and safety as it would directly influence the well being of his child?" Dumbledore interrupted.

"Of course," Severus growled, irritated that the man was questioning him in such a manner. He felt like a child and Dumbledore was the grandfather trying to patiently, and kindly, prove a point. He was not dense, regardless of his earlier feelings of shame as well as panic over his own lack of judgment and consideration. "What I mean to say is that he would be so much more focused on his child than himself. His attention would be directed more towards his spawn than anything else. While he would think to protect his offspring, it would mess with his mind all the more. He would be bound to mess up somewhere along the line. He is too young to be a father…too _male_ to be carrying a child. The surprise alone would catch him off guard long enough for someone to achieve something. Once that wears, he will be in a state of a fierce mother bear-like protection. His heart would be in the right place but his manner of going about shielding his child could be the doom of him. It is in his nature."

"Does it not concern you that someone would have to be aware of Mr. Potter's sexual activities to know there was any possibility he might believe a pregnancy?" Dumbledore asked.

"No one aside from yourself, Albus, knows," Severus assured him. "It might be clear to some of Potter's inclinations, making it easy to create assumptions particularly those brats you call students roaming the halls. If any of them are spreading the word to the Dark Lord, or participating themselves, it would be unproblematic for the simple-minded fools to imagine such things. Potter might also be partaking in other clandestine trysts aside from his activities in my bed. There are any number of explanations but, I assure you, I'm not one to let something so important slip through my fingers."

"As brilliant as you are, Severus, you must remember that you are not without your flaws," Dumbledore chided.

"I do not need reminding," he hissed. "I know of my issues, headmaster. But I take my role here very seriously and would allow nothing to jeopardize it."

"Nothing, you say?" Dumbledore repeated quietly.

* * *

><p>"Maybe Harry's coming into his creature inheritance," Luna said in her wind-chime voice. Despite the usual quietness of her tone and the loudness of the room, everyone seemed to hear her.<p>

"His what?" Grace asked.

"Oh goodness," Morag said under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Daphne said. "Creature inheritance?"

"Of course," Luna said. "You know, when you have an ancestor who was a magical being when you reach the age of maturity you receive a magical inheritance. It's very rare. Take veela, for example. Fleur Weasley is part Veela. Several generations down the line you won't be able to tell they have the blood anymore but one generation it will hit and they will be a full veela."

"That doesn't actually happen," Daphne said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, veela genes are strong. It would be a long time before the obvious signs and powers faded away."

"True. But Veela aren't the only ones," Luna said. "There are the fae…"

"Supposed offspring of humans and fairies, a separate branch in their own right, with different magical abilities," Morag explained to those who looked confused.

"I believe fae men could bear children," Luna said. "Most fae were gay…"

"Is that why some people call homos fairies?" Hannah whispered to Ron who could only shrug in confusion.

"…so they had the ability to reproduce with one another," Luna said.

"Wait. Fairies and humans can have sex? How? They're so tiny!" Grace squealed.

"Need we explain how centaurs, half giants, merpeople, and other species came into existence?" Hermione asked wearily.

"I don't think I want to know," Grace cringed.

"So Harry's part fae?" Hannah asked in awe.

"He could be," Luna said with a smile. "But there are plenty of possibilities."

"Male seahorses carry their young. Maybe Harry's part seahorse," Blaise snickered.

"He could be," Luna beamed. "That's a very clever theory, Blaise."

Blaise could only blink at her for several moments before turning to Draco and Ginny. "Is she serious?" he hissed.

"I think so," Ginny grinned.

"Err…Why wouldn't she be?" Draco asked, glancing to Ginny who was shaking her head and smiling at Luna.

"Suck up," Blaise muttered.

Everyone was staring at Harry who could only gape at Luna. Cedric glanced between the two incredulously, seeming to struggle to turn his attention back to his books. Morag seemed a bit embarrassed by her soul mate's ideas. All night she seemed very patient, although a bit patronizing, every time Luna went to talk. No one could blame her; they all knew Luna was a bit much and getting used to her would take more time on Morag's part.

"That's…That's not real, is it?" Harry sputtered.

"Of course not," Hermione said.

"Oh, you wouldn't think so, would you?" Luna said. "Daddy says not many people believe in it. But it's real. Just think…you could be part draconatus."

"Dragon born? Really?" Morag muttered.

"Oh yes. They were also known for males being able to bear children, as most of the draconatus were male themselves. Females were very rare among them, you know," Luna said. "I'm not sure why."

"What else?" Grace asked.

"Well, I think male sirens could become pregnant but they were so rare it's hard to know for sure," Luna said thoughtfully. "Incubi can too."

"So, Luna, are you and Morag going to bond?" Harry asked loudly, wanting nothing more than to change the subject. His mind was spinning with all of the ideas everyone had, all of the comments he had heard previously to Luna's ideas spreading around the room. It was tempting to merely shove this whole pregnancy to the back of his head until he could no longer ignore it. He knew he needed to figure out what he was going to do. It was especially hard to forget when Madam Pomfrey was so intent upon figuring out what was wrong with him. But thinking about it was hard. Some part of his mind still wasn't fully accepting of the whole thing, making discussing it very surreal and it was hard for Harry to know how to react to it all.

"Oh, yes," Luna said happily. "Once the _jaudaizplus_ go back into hibernation."

"The _what_?" Astoria asked.

"They're power draining insects," Luna said wisely. "And they hibernate twice a year. They're awake in the late winter and early spring then late summer and early fall. They can interfere with rituals, bonds, or anything that requires a great deal of magical energy. I wouldn't want to need help from the _doveik_." She then began giggling madly at some joke that only she seemed to understand.

"Personally, I believe the bond might have something to do with your pregnancy, Harry," Hermione said.

* * *

><p>"Precisely," Severus said coldly, somewhat offended by the insinuation that there was anything he would do to destroy his role. Despite earlier questioning of how much more suffering he had to be put through before his sins were forgiven, he well knew he was still making up for a lot. Ever since turning his back on the Death Eaters originally, he had done everything possible to fight for this side of things. The 'Light' side, as people so idealistically referred to it, the ever clichéd term for whatever army was opposing the 'Dark'. Ever since learning of the Dark Lord's focus on Lily Potter, Severus had turned away, dedicating himself to spying on the Death Eaters and doing whatever possible to spare her life. Then, when the Potters, Longbottoms, Prewetts, and other very powerful Wizarding families were captured by a small group of Death Eaters evading Azkaban, Severus had taken it upon himself to learn as much as possible then to offer as much aid as he could in their escape. Now, in recent years, he had returned to the fold, committing himself to physical, and psychological tortures, taking on more stress than he felt he could ever handle and putting so much of himself into his work as a spy. He would risk nothing. How much of a waste would all of these years have been if he so easily threw away his teaching career as well as his role as a spy? Nothing was worth that.<p>

"Nothing," Dumbledore said again. "So if I told you that keeping your bond with Mr. Potter strong was the key to survival, you would naturally put your all into it."

"Of course," Severus snapped. "What do you think I have been doing? Pardon the reference, headmaster, but I would rather have nothing to do with the brat than to even bed him."

"That was not what I meant," Dumbledore explained. "The sex has nothing to do with it, Severus. You claim to have sought means of civility with Mr. Potter but I don't believe for one moment that you found no common ground to share. You are both very stubborn men, Severus…"

"Men? I would hardly refer to Potter as a man, Albus," Severus muttered.

"Your years of antagonizing one another have done neither of you much good," Dumbledore went on. "Did you give up when you saw it would require more effort than you were willing to give? Or did you not even make the attempt?"

There was no use in lying to the headmaster, it seemed. No point in denying anything when it was clear that Dumbledore hadn't bought any of it. Severus stared at his mentor for a long moment then glanced away. The pair sat in silence for a long time with Dumbledore watching his potions master while the troubled younger wizard lost himself in his thoughts. He could already tell that the older man was going to try to force him to be nice to the brat. His pride was unwilling to budge. Though something deeper in him knew that if he absolutely had no other option, he would do as was required by his employer.

"Our bond is fine. I do not see the use in…"

"The bond is somewhat stable, yes," Dumbledore interrupted. It was not very often that the headmaster wouldn't even let him finish speaking but he was on a roll with it tonight. "But the bond could be stronger. Have neither of you noticed how much weaker you are?"

Severus's eyebrows furrowed together. "I'm not weak."

"Yes, you are," Dumbledore argued. "Your mental shields are not as firm as they normally are. Have you not noticed how less effective your spellcasting is? You are both powerful wizards, Severus, but lately neither of you has shown that remarkable ability I know you both are capable of. Either you are both purposefully letting things slide for some reason unbeknownst to me. Or you have yet to realize just how frail this bond truly is?"

There was no immediate answer. Severus stared blankly at Dumbledore, struggling to recall any event in the past few days that could be evaluated. He could not recall any sort of subpar performance on his end. Potter was just as abysmal in Potions as always. Then he scowled at Dumbledore upon finding no answer, convinced that the man was trying to manipulate him into playing nice. "What precisely do you mean, headmaster?"

"The biggest concern I have seen involves the attack on Mr. Potter the night he found out he was with child," Dumbledore said.

"Attack?" questioned Severus.

"Yes. Have you not heard?" Dumbledore asked.

"Obviously I have not," Severus snapped. The thought of Potter being attacked without his knowledge sent a flurry of panic through him. Perhaps Severus hated the brat but it was his duty in life to make sure he remained safe. For Lily. "What attack?"

"I really should have arranged a staff meeting to be held for the subject," Dumbledore sighed. "But, alas, I am a very busy man. This war is no easy task to maintain…"

"What attack?" Severus repeated irritably.

"There was a group in the castle disguised in makeshift Death Eater costumes," Dumbledore replied. "They…"

Dumbledore went on to explain but Severus had already heard the story. It circulated among the staff and older students. There was little doubt that the group was from Severus's own House. He was keeping a closer eye on his Slytherins, particularly those whose parents were Death Eaters. He had even gone so far as to have their belongings scanned by Mimsy while they were in classes. As of yet, there was no proof, though no one was giving up. The issue was that the name of the victim had been unknown. There had been their suspicions, Longbottom and Draco among them. Never had the name of Harry Potter been suggested, at least where Severus had been in hearing range.

"Potter?" he said. "That was Potter?"

Being outnumbered as he was, no one could really blame Potter for not being able to completely defend himself. The headmaster had explained that Longbottom and Draco had both informed him of disturbing observations of the boy's magic, though Severus thought it was hardly fair. He wasn't one prone to defending Potter but this was a bit ridiculous. And who on earth _was_ it that attacked the brat? Whoever it was, Severus was determined to find and punish them. The sudden powerful wave of anger and protectiveness was surprising but he associated it with the understanding that he needed Potter well and alive for this bond to be at its best as well as needing Potter to be rid of the Dark Lord. The fact that something very bad could have happened to Potter that night was slightly disconcerting. Within this very castle, the place that was supposed to be the safest on earth.

"Yes, it was," Dumbledore said gravely. "Are we no closer to discovering who they are?"

"I assure you, headmaster, it is one of my top priorities," Severus vowed. "Though I hardly see how an attack on the boy is evidence of failing magical abilities."

"I already explained to you the conversations I had with Misters Malfoy and Longbottom," Dumbledore explained. "But I feel it will take something more to convince you. Perhaps you would allow me to perform my own little test? Shall we see how well your mental shields are indeed holding up, Severus?"

The potions master glared deeply. "Very well."

* * *

><p>"The Soul Bond?" Morag asked. "That doesn't make any sense."<p>

The Ravenclaw and the famously brilliant Gryffindor glared at one another. "It makes perfect sense," Hermione replied stiffly. She shuffled her stack of parchment then stood to walk over to the desk Cedric was occupying. With a look shared between the two, Cedric began stacking his own books and notes to one corner of the desk then smiled, waving Hermione to go on. She began flipping through her notes, scanning through the words as she spoke. "The Wizarding world has a long history of promoting homophobia but about half of the known cases of soul mates involved same sex couples. About half of them raised children. Together."

"Is that saying much?" Morag interrupted. "There aren't many known cases of soul mates, are there? And we're talking about the bond itself, not soul mates that haven't bonded."

"I know that," Hermione said snippily. "As I was saying, two of said couples were bonded. One was a lesbian couple, Agatha and Ruth. It was mentioned in Ruth's diaries that she wished she was carrying Agatha's child…"

"Wished being the operative word. Isn't that right?" Morag pointed out. "That would imply that she was carrying someone else's child."

"Her husband's. Or so she believed," Hermione said irritably. All in all, to Harry, Morag's points had more logic to them than his friends, which was strange. He was used to Hermione being able to outsmart anyone, pull more facts and data out of her head than anyone else. Morag MacDougal was starting to give her a run for her money. "There were several mentions in her diaries of how she felt like the child was Agatha's more than it was Emory's. Her husband."

"Wishful thinking," Morag said.

"Eventually, Ruth fled with her children to live her life with Agatha. Shortly after she found out she was pregnant again. Now you could always believe as Ruth did that she must have become pregnant by Emory before she left, but looking at the birth date of the baby boy, it's very unlikely. Not impossible, but unlikely. You can always believe what science has always said or you can trust in a mother's instinct that this child had to be Agatha's. Ruth, herself, knew it was a wild idea but, deep in her heart, she felt that her youngest children belonged to her lover. Unfortunately, they only lived about a year and a half in peace before they were found by their respective husbands then sentenced to death. So anything new we could have learned if they had lived longer is sadly nonexistent."

"But there is also the case of Eddard Moore and Brychan Plath," Hermione continued. "There isn't much known about them. There is no real record of the births of their children or any sort of adoption. They lived together under the pretense of brothers raising their children together. They would flee a village anytime someone began to suspect they were lovers. But, for several months at a time, no one would really see them. Eddard would go out into the towns for things when necessary but no one caught one glimpse of Brychan until he was ready and they almost always had a new child by then. Considering the time frame of this, we could say that Brychan would go into 'hiding' whenever he began showing then reappeared when his body had healed and was relatively normal after giving birth."

"Or he could have been incredibly ill and the fact that they had a new child each time was coincidental. Eddard could have believed a new child would help cheer up Brychan. Or, maybe, Brychan was away attempting to adopt or even kidnap the new addition," Morag suggested.

"Possible. But not likely," Hermione said stiffly.

"And Brychan being _pregnant_ is more likely?" Morag asked in disbelief.

"Harry's pregnant!" Hermione defended, heat rising to her face.

"He _might_ be," Morag corrected.

Hermione looked furious so Cedric stepped forward to put a calming hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you give us the rest of your theory, Hermione? Is there more?"

"Of course there is!" Hermione snapped, sounding offended.

"So how, exactly, does the bond work in making someone pregnant?" Morag asked skeptically. "I can understand maybe a potion or spell being the cause. The magic in potions and spells each have a specific purpose. Even if the potion or spell in question wasn't meant to cause pregnancy, if either was tampered with or done incorrectly, the intent of the potion or spell could have changed to create pregnancy. But the intent of the bond is to join someone by their magic, souls, and every connection between two people. Even being connected, physically, how and why would it change Harry's body to allow conception?"

"That's just the thing," Hermione said. "We've learned a lot about the Soul Bond so far. When Harry bonded with Professor Snape, the…"

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed in a panic, seeing where the conversation was going and not liking it one bit.

"What?" Hermione asked confused.

"You know what!"

"I think he's worried about you revealing that he and Professor Snape have shagged," Draco said. Harry's face turned bright red as he glowered at Draco. Hermione glared as well. She was aware that Draco knew but no one else needed to know nor did Harry need to know that Draco knew! Seeming to realize this, Draco quickly backtracked. "Well, it's obvious. If you think the bond had something to do with it, then it's obvious that Severus is the father. Isn't it?"

"That's disgusting," Ron said weakly, looking as though he was going to be sick.

"You didn't really sleep with Professor Snape, did you, Harry?" Hannah asked.

"Is he any good?" Grace asked.

"Oh Merlin," Astoria said faintly, growing pale.

"So much for your crush, eh, Story?" Blaise teased. "Potter takes it up the arse. Too bad for you."

"Shut up, Blaise!" Daphne snapped.

"Bugger off, Zabini," Harry snapped. Not as many people looked surprised as, maybe, they should have. Hermione, Grace, Ginny, Draco, and Neville already seemed to know, though most of them Harry didn't see how they knew. Blaise and Daphne only seemed mildly surprised, as though they hadn't fully known, but had at least suspected it. Luna only seemed somewhat affected by it, as though it was some sort of pleasant surprise. Astoria, Morag, Ron, Hannah, and Cedric all seemed truly bothered by it.

"Isn't that against school rules?" Cedric asked carefully, as though trying not to upset anyone.

"Technically, it could be allowed, considering they do share the Soul Bond and Harry is of age. But they would have to be involved in special circumstances and adhere to the rules involving teacher-student relationships, such as Harry being removed from Professor Snape's classes, only meeting in private on allotted days _or_ by moving in together. Professor Snape would no longer be able to give or take points or give punishments to Harry. Hmm…I forget what else but it's all very complicated, which is why it's so rare and the Ministry highly discourages teachers and students from getting into any situation to where it _would_ be allowed," Morag explained.

"Then why don't they get rid of the rule?" Blaise demanded. "Because this is kind of creepy."

"You're telling me," Ron sputtered. "Harry, you didn't really shag that git, did you?"

"That's so gross," Hannah said.

"R…_Really_?" Astoria asked.

His situation with Snape was one of the last things he wanted to think about, let alone talk about. It was hard not to feel defensive by the looks of disgust on his peers' faces. They were doing it for the good of the bond. And, really, Snape wasn't so awful at sex. He doubted the latter would have reassured any of them. Angrily, he clenched his fists, jaw tightening and relaxing as he counted in his head, willing himself to calm down. They were all whispering again. Obviously, Snape had Harry under the Imperius Curse or was raping him. It really was a shock to them that Harry was not only a faggot but a slut at that. They wondered how big Snape's prick was. How big Harry's was. Who topped and who bottomed. Snape was the dominant partner, obviously, because he was older and taller. Snape was a child molesting freak while Harry was a closeted pervert with strange kinks. Harry should be expelled, Snape should be fired, and they should both be sentenced to the Kiss for their abnormality.

"Just tell them," Harry spat to Hermione, broodingly grabbing the nearest empty chair and dragging it away from the group to sit on the opposite side of the room behind where Hermione and Cedric were standing.

"What? Oh, right. Where was I?" Hermione muttered. "Be quiet, all of you! None of you knows what's been happening with Harry and Snape, so shut it! Blaise, friend or not, I will curse off your bollocks if I hear you say anything like that about Harry _ever_ again! Do you understand me? Do _not_ give me that look, Astoria!"

"Yes, Mum," Astoria muttered.

"Let's see," Hermione said. "Oh yes. Well. When Harry and Snape bonded they were…Oh, I won't just…Never mind. When Harry bonded with Snape and when I bonded with Draco, our relationships with one another were bad. We hated our soul mates, could not understand how we could be 'destined' for them, and so on. Admittedly, Draco and I were in slightly better condition than Harry and Snape because I was at least trying to. But that's not the point. The point is that our bad relationships with one another triggered something in the bond. It demanded satisfaction and it was not satisfied by our snipping at one another. The bond…Well, it forced us to have sex."

"The bond forced you…" Morag began to say, looking almost offended by the very idea of it. As though that sort of magic had a mind of its own!

"Yes, it did," Hermione interrupted. "I wasn't sure what to think when Harry described it to me, but…just being near each other, we had to…just _had_ to have each other. It was this…powerful driving force. Lust, desperation, passion…It all sounds very romantic, I suppose, but it's not. It was dirty, painful, and I was ashamed of myself after it all. It was my first time having sex. I hadn't even slept with Ron and we had dated for two years! Sex was sort of a big deal to me. But, to the bond, it didn't matter. The bond cannot force thoughts into our head or emotions into our hearts, but it could enforce this sort of physical contact. This magnetism, if you will. While it has failed to make Harry or Snape budge, the bond does require them to…have sex. It needs them to be close in _some_ manner, even if it is only by physical means, to remain stabilized. Every time they begin to fight the bond turns that anger into hunger and they shag like rabbits."

"Hermione," Harry sighed.

The witch cleared her throat then continued. "The point is that the bond wants them to get along. Just having sex isn't enough for it. The bond isn't fully stable because their relationship isn't completely stable. Only the fact that Draco and I have maintained a friendship has spared us but even we haven't reached our full potential because what we have now isn't enough. We aren't close enough yet. Harry and Snape, after this long, still haven't even come close to the stage Draco and I have reached."

"And?" Morag said.

"And so I believe that, perhaps, the bond was able to work its own magic. By creating a child, a piece of both Harry and Snape, maybe the bond hopes that it will bring them closer," Hermione rationalized.

"But that doesn't make sense!" Morag exclaimed. "Bonds are a very powerful form of magic but they don't have minds of their own. They sure as hell don't go around performing unknown magic to make the unthinkable happen! The very idea is ludicrous!"

"I think it makes perfect sense," Luna said, her expressive eyes landing on Harry. "He isn't happy."

"Of course I'm not happy," Harry grouched.

"No. But none of you is at peace. Your magic or your aura…it's quite disturbing, really," Luna said with a frown. "Every piece of you is at conflict with itself."

"Sure feels like it," Harry agreed nervously, though he wasn't sure if he fully understood what she was saying.

Hermione looked torn between being grateful to have someone agree or feeling a bit lost that it was Luna Lovegood doing so. "The Unbreakable Vow will kill you if you defy it. The Curse of Gilhati will punish you for good deeds. Why can't a _magical bond_ have the sort of power necessary to impregnate someone?"

"It doesn't make any sense! The Unbreakable Vow and the Curse of Gilhati work by magical triggers. Specific actions will trigger a reaction. Going against the Vow would be something very specific, therefore making it very easy to take the life of the person breaking the promise. The Curse of Gilhati…It's a complicated curse for a reason! Any good deed done will trigger the punishments given. The nicer you are, the worst your punishment sort of thing. The ultimate good would result in your death! And it's only ever been performed _once_! That's because, in order to create such a lasting and complex curse, it would require a lot of time, effort, and magic in order to be sure it would work a specific way! What you are suggesting is that this bond has a mind of its own…"

"Wouldn't their fighting be the trigger necessary to make them want to have sex?" Hermione argued.

"You could argue that if you weren't also suggesting that this bond is apparently aware that the sex is no longer working and had to make a _baby_ to fix things! The sex was never the argument, the pregnancy was!" Morag snapped.

"As stated, a magical bond is more powerful than the stupid Vow or the Curse! It is one of _the_ most powerful bonds in existence! Even if you can't excuse that, maybe they were fighting more…maybe the fighting was worse…and _that_ could have been a trigger."

"But why is it triggering for pregnancy? It would require a great deal to change his body to accommodate a fetus. And at what point does the fighting become 'too much' and require that next step in the process? I'm sorry but the only thing that makes sense is that someone did something to create the intention to have Harry become pregnant or messed up something that changed the intention of whatever spell or potion was being used. One thing with the specific purpose of changing his body and allowing for child-bearing is the _only_ thing that makes sense. Quite frankly, the idea that the bond is going out of its way to force these two people to be nice through such extremes is a bit fantastical."

Hermione was fuming. It wasn't often that someone questioned her intelligence to such a degree or that so many people seemed to agree with the idea. Despite skepticism, they at least looked a bit concerned by the pure rage in her dark brown eyes and the flush of her cheeks. Her mouth was open to let a spew of insults and arguments fly out, but Cedric quickly stepped in.

"Well, they're all just theories, aren't they?" he said.

"Right," Morag said, mollified.

"Of course," Hermione muttered stiffly.

"Madam Pomfrey and I will be working very hard to figure out what happened," Cedric assured them. "You don't have to worry about it."

"I can't believe you shagged Snape, mate," Ron muttered.

"Shut it, Ron," Harry snapped.

"What's going on now? I feel lost," Hannah whispered.

"Big surprise," Blaise muttered sarcastically.

"We don't even know if he _is_ pregnant," Ginny said to Morag.

"Oh, I think he definitely is," Luna disagreed.

"I didn't even know he was gay," Astoria was whining to her sister.

"That's because it's none of your business, Astoria," Daphne sighed.

The group resumed their various arguments about the topic at hand with the exception of Cedric, Hermione, Neville, and Harry. The three all gathered around Harry, Hermione easily sliding into his lap, earning them glowers from Ron and Draco. Neville and Cedric pulled up their own chairs to Harry's left, seeming more intent on sitting beside each other than surrounding Harry entirely. The two shared a look, a shy smile, and a few whispered words before focusing on their troubled friends.

Her argument with Morag had left Hermione feeling exhausted. Crawling into Harry's lap seemed the most natural thing to do, finding comfort in his arms and the urge to just fall asleep as she rested her head on his shoulder. Harry immediately wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. Everyone had their own issues, and considering Harry hadn't even felt confident enough to talk to his friends about what was troubling him, he felt as though he hadn't really been around them in forever. It wasn't until being with Hermione like this that he realized just how lonely life had really been lately. The person he had seen the most was Snape, who treated him more like dirt on his otherwise pristine floors rather than a human being. It was hard to say he was very happy he had finally confessed the truth, as he was now more confused than ever with a migraine to boot. But there was some small sense of relief that Hermione knew.

"Sometimes I still can't believe I'm pregnant," Hermione muttered. "I can't imagine what you're going through."

"I might not be pregnant," Harry said. All of the points saying it was possible for him not to be pregnant were exciting but, at the end of it all, Harry didn't think there was much hope.

"I think you are," Hermione whispered. "I know that's not what you want to hear, but…I have this feeling about it. What do you think?"

"I don't know what to think," Harry sighed.

* * *

><p>Dumbledore was a very fair, kind wizard. He was not one to abuse his power, especially knowing what doing so in this situation would do. The headmaster had seen more than he cared to while glancing through Severus's mind. It had less to do with the content both had seen than the fact that anything had happened at all that disturbed Severus. The dour potions master found all of his agitation fading away as he slumped back in his seat. He had managed to guard part of his mind though not all of it. His mental shields worked but not to their usual standard of near perfection. His pulse began to race fearfully. How many in this castle knew Legilimency? Not many. When was the last time he had been called to the Dark Lord's side? Only days ago. Had his shields been in such a state then? He was lucky the Dark Lord hadn't called him forth to give him any sort of test. But what would happen if he did anytime soon? The Dark Lord was the best <em>Legilmens<em> who was currently living and would likely go down as one of the best in history. The only rival he currently had in this skill was Dumbledore. And if Severus couldn't hide anything from Dumbledore…

"This doesn't make sense," Severus muttered, struggling to keep his panic hidden.

"Physical relations to your mate are not enough, Severus," Dumbledore explained quietly. "The Soul Bond does not affect the physical state of the mates to the same extreme it does the others. Therefore, 'healing' by physical contact will not do the good that other things will. The bond requires an emotional and mental connection. I'm not asking you to befriend the boy but at least try to know him, Severus. I am certain that even you can maintain some form of civility between you."

He felt as though he could say a great deal to that. He could rant and rave about how much of a stubborn brat Potter was, how much like his father, how ignorant, self-centered, young, foolish. But it wasn't enough. Anything he said would fall on deaf ears. Dumbledore was determined to see them suffer. To have his way. Part of Severus felt as though this was some punishment though he knew, in all reality, it made sense. He didn't want to see the truth but it was begging to be acknowledged. If his shields were down then, obliviously, their magic hadn't recovered as fully as they had assumed. How had neither noticed until now? Frowning deeply, Severus lost himself in thought, mulling over this new information and what he would have to do about it. Loathe as he was to play nice with Potter, as much as it would kill his pride to make any sort of attempt, he knew he had to. Potter's role as the hero as well as Severus's as the spy were too important to this war. They were doing more damage than either cared to by continuing on in this manner. While Severus was not very sure what to do to mend things, he did know that he would have to try, and very soon.

"I'll discuss this with Mr. Potter before his first class tomorrow morning," Dumbledore said. "I'm certain you will both feel better with the excuse that I am making you play nice."

"Hardly," Severus said dryly. "I'll do what I must but I assure you that no amount of getting to know the brat will make my feelings for him any different."

"Except for maybe worse?" Dumbledore guessed knowingly. "You are a very strong, brave man, Severus, and I respect you greatly. But when it comes to your feud with James Potter, Sirius Black, and anyone related you all become so childish. I can hardly believe you are all the same people. It's as though you never left your schoolboy days."

"I do not need your lecturing, headmaster," Severus said irritably.

"I think you do, my boy," Dumbledore said sadly. "All I ask is that you give Harry a chance. If you can stomach bedding the boy, I'm certain you can handle a mature conversation. I want you _both_ to try your very best."

"As if there is any other choice. We cannot afford to go on this way," Severus replied, wishing there was a quicker fix than having to baby Potter to fixing his mental shields.

"No, you cannot. Think of it this way, my boy. He is just as much Lily's son as he is James's," Dumbledore said, for what must have been the hundredth time in the past few years. "I believe it would please Lily a great deal to see her best friend getting along with her son. Treating him well."

"I do not see why you must bring her into the conversation every time," Severus said darkly.

"My apologies," Dumbledore said. "Now, I must warn you that should Mr. Potter carry on with his pregnancy, your secret will be out. Everything could come out into the open when people find out."

"I will make sure that does not happen, headmaster," Severus promised. Perhaps he could use these talks to persuade Potter into having the abortion. It would serve them all so much better in the long run.

"Do not pressure him, Severus," Dumbledore warned. "I also feel as though I should say that I do not approve of your activities with Mr. Potter. I would ask you, Severus, to please put an end to this."

Put an end to it? The one good thing he was getting out of this whole mess. Did it matter if getting along would 'cure' their issues? Playing nice with Potter would require a lot more patience and energy than he cared to use. Though the boy was admittedly annoying, inexperienced, and too young, he _was_ mildly attractive along with being one of the most entertaining bed partners Severus had ever enjoyed. It wasn't as though he had a frequent lover, only Lucius when he had nowhere else to go, and Lucius seemed to favor Black's bed these days. Severus had finally found something the boy was good for, and he was unwilling to give it up just yet.

"Will that be all, headmaster?" Severus asked.

Dumbledore frowned, just watching him for a long time before finally nodding. "Goodnight, Severus."

* * *

><p>The meeting eventually wound down so Hermione had everyone sign a sheet of parchment before they left. It was very similar to what she had used in the D.A. their fifth year. Due to the reaction of almost everyone, they felt it was safest to ensure that no one went running to the <em>Daily Prophet<em> with the latest scandal in the life of Harry Potter, or anyone else for that matter. Most of these people were their friends, most they trusted, but with this, they could never be too sure. Hermione didn't like the look of that Morag girl, anyway. It was nearing curfew the time the group parted into several smaller groups. Hannah had to pull her stunned husband along, staring at Harry the whole time as though expecting him to sprout new body parts. She almost ran them into the wall until Cedric spoke up to tell them to watch out. Daphne and Astoria left together after unsuccessfully trying to convince Draco and Blaise to come with them. The Slytherin boys stood hopefully near Ginny, shooting glares to one another when they realized the game the other was playing. Oblivious to them, Ginny was in a deep conversation with Grace only to be steered away by Neville, who seemed to think it was in her best interest to get her away from them. Cedric, hoping to have a few words with Neville before bed, followed. Luna and Morag weren't far behind them, the auburn haired Ravenclaw heatedly arguing with her calm and patient soul mate over various theories. Harry, Hermione, Blaise, and Draco were the last to remain in the room.

"Would you just leave her alone? She's not interested in you," Draco hissed.

Hermione sighed as she slid out of Harry's lap. "Feeling any better, Harry?"

"Not much. I'm very tired," Harry replied.

"She's obviously not as interested in you as you thought," Blaise snapped back. "She barely even looked at you."

"She has a lot on her mind right now," Draco defended.

"Make excuses to yourself all you want. Hermione gave the okay and Ginny still isn't on your arm or in your bed," Blaise said. "And she never will be."

"And you think she'll ever be with you?" scoffed Draco.

"I, for one, feel queasy," Hermione sighed. "Madam Pomfrey gave me this pregnancy-safe nausea control potion. It will keep me from throwing up but I constantly feel as though I have to. I'm starting to think I'd prefer running to the loo every few minutes."

"That's disgusting," Harry said, wrinkling his nose.

"Just you wait and see," Hermione warned.

"It could just be the potions that were making me sick," Harry said unconvincingly.

"She could be," Blaise muttered, walking towards the door. "Once she realizes I actually care about her."

Gray eyes flashed angrily. "Don't you dare…"

"Draco," Hermione's voice interrupted. The Slytherins turned as the Gryffindors approached. "I have a checkup with Madam Pomfrey tomorrow."

"Oh…umm…okay," Draco said, looking as nervous as he always did whenever the pregnancy was mentioned.

"Just in case your child actually starts to matter more than some girl," Hermione said coolly.

Blaise snickered while Draco just gaped at her. "I…I just…Uh…I…"

He could barely say anything as Hermione grabbed Harry's hand, stalking off with her head held high. Blaise could only smirk in amusement, clapping his hand on his friend's back. "Nice going, Malfoy."

* * *

><p>Albus Dumbledore had only been alone in his office a few minutes before the chatter started up. The portraits of past headmasters came alive, whispering loudly to one another on the subjects that had been the object of all conversation these past few days. Harry Potter, Severus Snape, soul mates, the Soul Bond, the mysterious attacks on Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, pregnancy, war, Horcruxes, and many others. It was hard to keep track of what was being discussed at any time. Albus sighed heavily, rubbing a weak hand over his tired face.<p>

"I'm telling you, Albus. You should tell the boy soon," Phineas Nigellus piped up.

"We've been over this," Albus sighed. "I cannot tell Harry anything about the cups. He would attempt to go after them."

"As well he should! You're the one who wanted him involved in this," Phineas reminded him.

"That was before he became pregnant," Albus said.

Phineas scoffed. "Will this pregnancy change the fact that he has a destiny to fulfill? What happens when the Dark Lord decides to end this war before the spawn is born?"

"We will figure that out when it comes to us," Albus said. "But I don't see Tom deciding to end this war any time soon."

"The fate of the world is more important than the life of _one_ child," Phineas muttered.

Albus frowned deeply, studying the various shiny objects on his desk. He moved a few aside, pulling up the parchment with a copy of Poppy's latest scan over Harry Potter. He trailed one finger around the blobs that could very well be the miracle child, the son or daughter of Harry and Severus. "That decision would be up to Harry."

"He should at least know all of the facts before he makes said decision," Phineas argued.

"Keeping things from him has never benefitted him before," Armando Dippet said wisely.

And Albus could say nothing, only placing the picture back under his knick-knacks and performing his nightly ritual of potions. Perhaps he did owe it to Harry to be truthful with him about everything. He had trusted Harry enough to confide in him of the Horcruxes last year. This bond, as well as the new child, made everything so much trickier. Despite the warnings of his portrait friends, Albus wasn't sure he could tell Harry anything that could possibly convince him to go through with an abortion. Maybe it didn't make sense, but the idea of the child being killed bothered him. There was some feeling deep in his gut that this pregnancy, or whatever it was, mattered in some way that none of them yet understood. He just wished he could know more of it. That would make the decision of his so much easier to carry out.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I am actually relatively happy with this chapter. I know there wasn't much action or drama-wise, but I found the information I gave was fun to write and I hope it was just as interesting to read. It did give me a lot of complications. It required a lot of research, revisions, and after reading through five times I still found things that needed fixing so if something doesn't make sense I apologize but I have worked hard at fixing it all lol! Feel free to let me know and I'll fix it asap.

Now I'm close to 600 reviews! That's so exciting! If y'all can get me there before the next chapter I'll love you forever! Still wanting to hit my goal of 40 for a chapter and an essay-length review! Haha. I appreciate the time and effort put into the reviews and they always make me happy to see in my inbox! Big thanks to: astrophobicchick, waiting4amadmanwithabox, Tokugawa Blitzer, FiresBurningTouch, Harmonie-Dream, Gemini Peverell, Sydney-Jo, Anniriel, Bibliophile Nicole, ieatmyfeelings, Gabrielle Rickman Snape, FireboltPhoenix, Nocturnal Rose, AlmondWithUnicornHair, veronik, Sirius-dorkis010, sev's-sexy-mistress, bonnielovesclyde, Saintsational, ive-already-seen-hell, LeviosaHex, Alex, Clockpart, iglak17, and Kashi-Cookie-Monster!

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Also this is my longest chapter to date! How awesome is that?


	31. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER THIRTY**

* * *

><p>Having accepted the fact that they needed to talk didn't make doing so any easier for either of them. They sat in Snape's living room in tense silence, avoiding eye contact, secretly praying for the whole thing to just end. The dour older man sat in his armchair, nursing a glass of scotch, while Harry sat, stiffly, on the couch, feeling completely on edge. Every part of him was itching with some need to <em>move<em>, to do_ something_. There was a heavy pressure to get through this meeting but he was wishing he could think of something to say to even start it. The more time that passed, though, the harder it was to think of or say anything.

How was he supposed to talk to _Snape_? Sex with him was easier than this, though the very thought of that made him shift uncomfortably. Dumbledore wanted them to get to know each other so, maybe, they should be asking questions about each other's lives. But neither particularly cared about one another nor did they want to appear as if they did. Harry already knew that if he started, this that the man would have some sarcastic or taunting remark to retort with. It wasn't worth it to him. If Dumbledore wanted this done, he was probably going to have to stick his hand in and make it happen. Left to their own devices, they were getting nowhere fast.

Harry kept his gaze on the fireplace, hands absentmindedly resting on his flat stomach, now and then moving to rub gently all around the area. It was habit by now, something he had to be very careful with around the common room. Just last night, Lavender and Parvati had become very concerned, thinking he had a stomach virus. Theories were growing increasingly worrisome. This morning there was a rumor going around that he was dying of a curse put on him by a Death Eater that would slowly and steadily eat away at him then turn his body into a ferocious part dragon, part lion creature once he was dead. At least the truth was too implausible for anyone to even guess it. It was a lucky thing, too. Poor girls, anytime they got sick or gained a little extra weight there were pregnancy rumors flying around.

Having a pregnancy confirmed was almost worse. He had seen how it was for Hermione. Everyone was always staring, whispering, and even hurling nasty comments her direction. For her part, the young witch seemed mostly unbothered by the whole thing. Harry figured it was because she was too preoccupied to notice ninety percent of the time. While, in the beginning, she had been obsessing with coming to terms with her condition, she now seemed to be avoiding it like the plague. Maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. Hermione always threw herself into her work, didn't she? Just because she wasn't studying every bit of information ever printed about pregnancy didn't mean she was avoiding it. She _did_ seem to shy away from talking about the subject, but she usually was busy whenever it was brought up. Harry wasn't sure what to think about it right now. She was dedicating herself entirely to preparing for the NEWTs that year as well as researching as much as she could about the bond. The only thing dealing with pregnancy she seemed worried about was finding what she could about male pregnancy and looking at what she was given about his condition.

True to her word, Hermione never went anywhere unless she knew she would be safe. That usually meant one or more of her friends were usually around to hear the sorts of things people were saying. Harry and Draco had been with her earlier today when Nott was teasing her about the whole thing. He started off by declaring how easy she was. Then he dragged a third year into the conversation by saying now that the child had come into puberty, that Hermione would be more than glad to help him with his virginity problem, reassuring her that the boy's dick was probably too small to stab the baby. After that, he offered his services to do just that if she had changed her mind about an abortion. She had been both hurt and furious by the whole thing, tears filling her narrowed eyes as she snapped at him. The whole thing escalated to the point that Harry and Draco both drew their wands at Nott before Snape interrupted. To Nott's surprise, Snape rounded on him, giving him detention with Filch then threatening to send him to Dumbledore when he was through. The man didn't even say anything about Harry attempting to attack one of his precious Slytherins, but he wasn't too grateful to the man himself, instead praising his luck that Snape was too caught up in punishing Nott. Had Snape not been so bothered by the other student, he surely would have wanted Harry's head for even _thinking_ of attacking the boy. When he was through, Snape snapped at them to get Hermione away, which the boys did hurriedly, feeling a bit embarrassed that they had been more worried about beating the snot out of Nott to notice how upset Hermione was. They made it up to her by actually getting along while taking her outside for a long walk around the lake, engaging her in dull conversations about her classes.

Harry wasn't sure what he would do once the whole school found out about his predicament, if they ever did. It was bad enough with the people who _did_ know. Their looks weren't quite so heated and judgmental as the ones aimed at Hermione, but he figured he had it worse. They looked at him as if he were a lab rat, something to study, poke and prod, or gape at like some circus freak. Male pregnancy might have been a big deal due to its rarity, but he wasn't sure why it was _such_ a big deal. Maybe he hadn't fully accepted that it was real. Some days he felt sick but, in general, he didn't actually feel different. The very thought that something was alive inside of him, that he was carrying children, was too far-fetched. It didn't matter what any of the tests Madam Pomfrey, Snape, or Cedric said. It was easy to see, but it didn't really _feel_ real to him. How strange it was to imagine that he would be getting bigger in a matter of months, that, eventually, he would have to give birth, that he would have a child or children by the end of all of this. It was odd to think about, never quite seeming real. Quite frankly, most of his life seemed more like some crazy dream rather than reality. There was too much happening, too many surprises that were too far-fetched to be true. There were some nagging feelings deep inside that he would wake up before long back in mid-July where his friends would laugh at him for actually thinking he was pregnant and that Snape was his soul mate as well as every other crazy thing that had taken place these past few months.

"Would you please refrain from doing that, Potter?" Snape snapped, surprising Harry.

"What?" Harry asked, scrunching his eyebrows together. It took a moment to notice that Snape was glaring at the placement of his hands then he rolled his eyes while moving his hands awkwardly to his sides. "At least you said 'please'."

"Some of us have good manners, Mr. Potter," Snape retorted.

"Aren't we supposed to be learning how to get along?" Harry muttered through clenched teeth.

There was a short pause before Snape reluctantly said, "True."

"So," Harry said, shifting around to face Snape more. He really dreaded doing this, but now that Snape had spoken, it at least gave him an opening of sorts. "Erm…Have you learned anything from the potions yet?"

"If I had been successful you would know by now," Snape said dryly.

Harry glared at him. "If I can give being nice a shot then so can you."

The professor shot him a dirty look, lips twisting around as though he tasted something nasty. Harry half expected the man to be cruel, bracing himself for an onslaught of vile words. After a few minutes, though, the man swallowed a large gulp of his scotch before speaking in a strained voice. "It is a complicated matter. There were a great number of potions in your system. I have had to decipher every last one in your system, which was no easy task, and now have the duty of looking for any combination that could have resulted in conception. It takes a lot of time to figure any sort of mixture that _could_ lead to such a thing then I'll have to go about performing tests. The fact that it might not even be a potion means I will have to go through a long and arduous process of eliminating every possibility all the while attending to my usual, numerous duties. It may be a while before I know anything for sure."

"Oh. Right," Harry said. "Erm…How is it coming along?"

The man arched an eyebrow, looking prepared to deliver some snide comment, but forced out a simple, "Slowly."

"Of course," Harry muttered, face heating up a bit. The man had already stated he had a lot of other stuff going on that was complicating matters. He drummed his fingers on the cushions of the couch, thinking quickly for a new topic to latch onto before they lapsed back into silence. "Umm…So…Do you like Quidditch?"

It took another moment for Snape to respond. He first looked at Harry as if he were a moron before seeming to struggle to put up a more patient, civil façade. "I like Quidditch players."

Harry smirked before he could stop himself, earning a glare from Snape. He was pleased to notice the man's sallow face turn an ugly red color in embarrassment. Being that Harry was a Quidditch player, he could tease the man about being attracted to him even without the need to fuck. That wouldn't be very nice, though. There was no need to provoke the man when they were trying to be friendly. Besides, he already knew the sorts of comments Snape would have ready to assault him with, proclaiming his disgust for prepubescent boys, going on about his scrawny figure, wild hair, glasses, and his striking resemblance to his horrible father. So, instead, he did his best to pull the corners of his mouth down, erasing his smile, though he could do little about the amusement in his eyes.

Raising his hand to cover his mouth, he coughed, still trying to control his smile before he continued speaking. "Um…Who's your favorite?"

Snape sighed heavily. "Sterling Cox."

Harry nodded at the familiar name, pulling a picture of the man into his mind. It strange thinking of his name since Hermione had made a comment about it last year, how it sounded like the stage name of a pornography actor rather than a real person. Sterling played for the Canadian team, the Stonewall Stormers, and was actually known for being one of the best players in Canada, easily able to fill any position flawlessly, though he was best as a Chaser. He was mildly attractive for a bloke. Very tall, muscular, tan, light brown hair, and eyes such a pale gray it barely looked like he had irises at all. He didn't know many girls who mooned over Sterling Cox though, now that he thought about it, he wasn't all that bad. Of course, it was dragging up memories of a very interesting sex dream he had had a little over a week ago about the American beater, Dooley Driscoll.

He had never put much thought into his sexuality before, but ever since he started shagging Snape, it was becoming painfully clear. The only girl he had ever really considered was Cho Chang his fourth year but, even then, he was too preoccupied with other things to put any serious thought into it. She was pretty, sure, and plenty of blokes liked her but thinking of her now, her slender form didn't do it for him the way a nice hard, male body did. Thinking of sex was making him think of sex with Snape, though, so Harry quickly tried to put it all out of his head. This meeting was about getting to know each other. Besides, they were only supposed to have sex when they _needed_ to and he certainly did _not_ want to have sex with Snape unless he had to. Plus, the man had thrown condoms into the mix since Harry found out he was pregnant, and he did not like them whatsoever.

"D-do you have a favorite team?" he asked.

Snape smirked. "Slytherin."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course. You don't much follow professional teams, do you? Unless you're looking for good wank material."

It was only a joke. He was still a bit nervous joking around with Snape as he would a friend, but he figured that was what this whole project was supposed to be about. Getting along and all.

"I don't need to wank, as you so crassly phrased it. Not with our arrangement. What I do need, however, is something pleasant to think about when I have to fuck you, Mr. Potter."

It was like being punched in the gut. Harry blinked slowly, moving his hands from the couch to his lap, trying hard not to curl up into himself. Maybe he didn't need to act quite so at ease with the man. He could have taken offense to the statement. They weren't _really_ friends. The boy cringed at the reminder. It was his own fault, really. He should never have said anything. At the same time, though, did Snape really have to go there? Did he really think about other blokes while fucking Harry? Harry had never thought of anyone else while they were going at it. That only made him feel _worse_. Snape wasn't even all that attractive, yet the man had to think about other people to get it up?

He didn't know how to react at first. It hurt more than he liked, but he figured anyone would be offended by such a statement. Shaking his head, he then looked back to Snape. The man looked troubled, shifting uncomfortably in his chair, even looking somewhat apologetic. Harry relaxed slightly, though he wasn't sure where to go from here. The awkward silence was returning, though the atmosphere had remained tense since Harry had first entered these rooms.

"I presume you _do_ have a favorite 'professional' team?" Snape asked.

At first, all he could do was nod numbly, forcing himself to speak after a few seconds. "Uh yeah. Puddlemere United."

A nod from Snape and things were quiet again. The Quidditch conversation was doomed from the start. Harry tapped his knuckles against his knees while looking all around the room, wishing he could just leave. All of the simple questions seemed too ridiculous to ask and most of the stuff he actually wanted to know was too personal. After a few minutes, he managed to think of another question, then spent another few mustering up the courage to vocalize it.

"So….it's pretty common knowledge that you want the Defense post, I guess," Harry said. "But uhh…do you at least like Potions?"

Snape considered him a moment before answering. "I wouldn't enjoy teaching even if it was the Defense Against the Dark Arts role. While I would prefer it, I do enjoy working with potions. It is something I've always excelled in."

While he doubted the conversation would carry them through the next hour or so, it did at least hold more promise than Quidditch. Before Harry could deliver his next inquiry, Snape surprised him by asking something of his own. "What of your post-graduation plans, Mr. Potter? Do you plan on following in your father's footsteps, wasting your days hunting evil even when the Dark Lord is long gone? Or will you put your silly talents and your broom to good use?"

Harry blinked in surprise. Fifth year he had thought, briefly, about his future career, but had never put much stock into it. Most of his focus, the past few years, had always been on Voldemort. It was hard, really, imagining his future. Anything beyond Voldemort was too difficult to really see. Becoming an Auror had seemed the obvious decision, solidifying into more of a certainty in his mind when James Potter had shown pride in the fact that his son wanted to follow his career. With the way Snape had put it, though, was that really what he wanted? Following danger even when he finally had it out of his life? _If_ he ever did. The fact that Snape seemed too sure that Voldemort _would_ die was somewhat reassuring. Harry frowned as he thought of it.

For the first several years of his life, the Dursleys had shoved into his mind that he was good for nothing, would never amount to anything, and was a waste of space on the planet. Finding that his parents were alive and being reunited with them had been a special journey all on its own. Fresh from the mental ward at St. Mungo's, Lily and James had still not been in prime mental condition. Harry remembered well their paranoia, the breakdowns, and how terrified he had been when the memories became too much for his parents. Neither had been willing to really broach the subject with their young son, but it didn't take long for Harry to piece together most of the puzzle. Voldemort, danger, all of this had defined him since that fateful Halloween night, even if he hadn't always known it. He had been fighting for so long, had been this symbol of hope since the Dark Lord first fell, that getting away from it all would be nice. But, in the same mindset, what else did he know? Being a Quidditch player wasn't a viable career, was it? Not long term.

Harry lost himself to these considerations for near twenty minutes before pulling himself back into the real world, glancing sheepishly into Snape's irritated face as the man took a sip from a fresh glass of scotch. "Err…sorry," he coughed. "I…really don't know, I guess. My only goal at the moment is to kill him and hopefully survive it."

Snape appeared somewhat surprised, though Harry was unsure why. Didn't he know that Harry was determined to defeat Voldemort? Or was his lack of complete optimism it? The man didn't elaborate so Harry was not going to offer up details that didn't even matter. He was a bit curious about the man's own involvement in this war. He could easily think of a thousand questions ranging from how he first joined the Death Eaters to why he became a spy to what his own plans were after the war. Knowing that voicing such curiosities would not lead to any good, Harry shoved them away in favor of more mundane questions: favorite color, food, animal, musical artist, and answering for himself each time Snape turned the question back to him.

It wasn't the ideal way to spend the evening, but at least the pair managed to make some progress by the time their meeting ended. Really, they had only snapped at each other a few more times before Harry left. The thick tension between them never went away, but Harry was positive that it never would.

* * *

><p>The following afternoon, Ginny Weasley rushed from her Herbology class back towards the castle, grateful to run into Draco along the way. He had just been leaving the castle when she caught sight of the doors, so she changed direction to put him in her path. She was greeted with a somewhat confused smile from the boy as she slowed down in front of him, taking a moment to catch her breath. All of this thinking she had been doing finally paid off at the worst of times. During her first class of the day, she had come to a realization about her relationship with the blond, but had had to wait several long hours before having the chance to say anything. Even during lunch, she had been unable to get him alone for a minute to discuss things. It had been going in such a way that she had started to believe that fate was trying to tell her something.<p>

"Can we…talk?" she gasped out.

"Uh sure. Yeah. Of course," he said, motioning uncertainly to the cleared area by the lake. Ginny nodded, eagerly leading the way. While she didn't think this whole thing needed to be a secret, she also didn't want it out and circulating the Hogwarts population as soon as it happened.

When she reached the lake, she sat down on the log that had been there for a few years, often used as furniture for students. They had moved the log to keep it close in relation to the four stumps that also acted like chairs. For this conversation, Ginny figured the closer the better. It took a moment to realize that she had walked faster than Draco had and was far ahead of him, or he was walking slowly on purpose. Either way, that gave her time to calm down, pull her bag from her shoulders, and shift around to find a good, comfortable position. By the time Draco arrived she still hadn't. The Slytherin gave her a strange, nervous look before sitting beside her.

"So…?" he asked.

"So," she said, turning around to face him completely, folding her legs Indian style. It took her a moment to balance herself right, but lowered her hands into her lap once she was settled. Draco looked more concerned than ever, which made her laugh. "Will you go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

Draco blinked. "I wasn't expecting that."

She grinned in amusement, trying desperately to hold back her laughter. This giddy excitement was almost too much to handle. With everything going on lately, she figured that someone should be happy. So why not them? Hermione seemed insistent that they date, was making no moves on Draco herself, and _was_ becoming rather friendly with Ron again. Maybe the feelings she had for Draco were nothing more than confusion. Knowing that the blond was her soul mate, and they were bound probably made her think she felt something, or some obligation to feel something, _especially_ now that she was pregnant with his child. The whole situation was still very strange, the redhead still very wary of the whole thing, but, at the same time, she did really want to be with him and he wanted to be with her. Maybe that was enough for things to work out just fine. They at least owed it to themselves to give it a shot.

"That wasn't an answer," Ginny told him.

Draco laughed nervously. "I didn't think you'd ask, to be honest."

"Would you rather I tell you?" she teased. "Draco, we are _going_ to Hogsmeade this weekend!"

"Much better," he said with a grin, rolling his gray eyes. "Since I, apparently, have no choice in the matter…"

Ginny glared at him playfully. "Well, if you don't want to go I can always ask Blaise…"

"Oh no you don't!" Draco exclaimed, a slight edge of panic to his tone that confused her. She raised an eyebrow, causing him to flush. "I will go with you and will be happy about it."

"Good."

Most girls would dance around, squealing merrily when the guy they liked agreed to go out with them. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were professionals in the art of acting like a complete girl about something. While Ginny prided herself on being above all of their frivolous silliness, she couldn't help but have some small urge to jump about, exclaiming out the good news for the whole school to hear. This was exciting! Instead, she kept herself calm, only grinning at the handsome boy beside her. All of her previous nerves faded away, completely forgotten for the time being. For now, Ginny had a very good feeling about all of this.

"I was starting to give up hope, you know," Draco said quietly, sliding his hand over to take hers. Her heart fluttered as his warm hand found hers, fingers lacing together.

"You're not trying to make me feel bad, are you?" she joked. "Because I won't apologize for taking the time I needed to figure this out."

"No, I'm not," he chuckled. "Just…" He trailed off, shaking his head, pale cheeks flushing bright red.

She grinned broadly. "What? You have to tell me now."

"Just…I'm really…happy." He sounded mortified having to admit such a thing.

"Awwww!"

"Shut up," he groaned.

"Make me."

She hadn't had much in mind until she saw that gleam in his eyes. As his free hand came up to cup her cheek, her heart began to dance, stomach flip flopping anxiously as her bright brown eyes closed. His lips brushed hers with such tenderness that left her breathless. How many days and nights had she spent dreaming of this? They had kissed before, sure. But it was never real. Not when they had acknowledged their feelings and were actually headed somewhere.

"Mmm," she murmured when they parted. "I wasn't expecting that."

Draco snorted. "I rather thought it was a predictable move, on my part."

"Oh, not that. I just didn't expect it to be good."

Silver eyes narrowed at her, looking actually offended for a moment before he appeared to realize it was just a joke. "I don't see how you should be so shocked," Draco grumbled. "I do have a reputation."

"Well how am I supposed to know you didn't pay them off to say such nice things?" Ginny asked innocently. "Don't pout. I did say it was good, didn't I?"

"I guess you did," Draco relented with a smirk. "Does that mean I should continue?"

"Oh, I don't…mmm!"

Her words were cut off when Draco kissed her again. She didn't mind so much, only letting her arms come up to wrap around his neck, letting his arms come around her to help balance her out on the log again. The force of the kiss might have actually knocked her over had they not been so quick to hold onto each other. Ginny didn't think she would have minded, or noticed, at all.

* * *

><p>"Why don't they just get a room?" Hermione muttered irritably. Several yards away from where Ginny and Draco sat, she and Harry were sitting beneath a tree, surrounded by homework. Normally, she kept her nose in a book too much to notice much else, but her attention had been stolen by the pair as soon as they walked by. Nosiness tempted her to sneak closer to listen in, but it wasn't long before the two were snogging and Hermione figured she had a pretty good idea about the conversation. Seeing the two kiss <em>hurt<em> and just thinking about them entering into a real relationship was more painful than it had been previously. Maybe because it was real now and then it had only been a thought.

"Weren't you the one who encouraged it?" Harry asked, glancing up from his Potions textbook.

She glared at him. "I told her I was fine with them dating, I did not tell her they should attack each other in the middle of the day. In public."

"They're not doing any worse than Lavender and Seamus were yesterday," Harry said with a shrug.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Hermione muttered to herself, not really intending for Harry to listen.

"No one's. You're both my friends," Harry told her. "I love you both like sisters. But you should have known telling her to go ahead with it was a bad idea."

"It was not. They like each other," she said.

"And you like him."

"I don't. I thought I did, but I don't," she lied. Only she didn't think it was a lie until she said it. Her feelings about Draco had been so confusing lately. Were they real? They were there, but did that always mean anything? Even if she did have feelings for Draco, it wasn't as though he returned them. It didn't mean they were supposed to be together. Besides, Hermione had more important things to worry about than a relationship. It had only been a few months since coming out of a two year relationship with Ron. Being single for a while was probably for the best. Truthfully, it wasn't as though her feelings for Ron had disappeared either. It would be silly to stake some claim on Draco, denying one of her best friends her happiness.

Even if it did feel like a knife to her heart.

"Right," Harry said, though by his tone she could tell he didn't believe her.

"I'm not even entirely over Ron, no matter how big of a prat he is," Hermione sniffed. "Relationships are the last thing I need to think about. We have the NEWTs coming up! And the baby…Well there's that…" She was all of a sudden uncomfortable. It was silly to try avoiding the subject of the baby when he would be in the world before she graduated. Pretending he didn't exist wouldn't make him go away. Only she had done such a fine job of getting her mind on other things and it seemed so wrong to give that up now. By the look Harry was giving her, though, she knew she wouldn't be able to just drop it. "He's due in late May or early June. I have to focus on him more than anything or anyone else."

"Can't make it easy, though," Harry said. "I dunno why she doesn't know how big of a deal it is."

"It's not a big deal," Hermione argued. "She's entitled to be with whom she wants and so is he. I have more important things to worry about than my love life."

"If you're sure," he muttered. "I just don't like seeing you so upset."

She laughed. "I'm not that upset." When he looked ready to make some sort of point, she rolled her eyes and quickly changed the subject. "Speaking of love lives, how's yours?"

"Nonexistent," Harry snorted. "The only interest I've had at all lately was Astoria, but she's pretty much scared off now that she knows I've been shagging Snape."

"That's probably a turn off to most people, no offense," she giggled.

"None taken," he said, tossing a balled up roll of parchment at her.

"How did things go last night, by the way? I don't think I asked," Hermione said.

"You did, when I got back last night, but I don't think you were paying much attention," he teased. "It was pretty awkward and boring. I know more useless details about Snape than I care to."

"Such as?"

"His favorite color is green, surprise, surprise. He likes classical music. Also plays loads of instruments like the piano, violin, and…a bunch of others I don't really remember. He doesn't like sweets very much, but he likes snacking on fruit and dark chocolate, that kind of thing. Apparently, he likes poetry and has more than one favorite book. Blah, blah, blah, why do you care?"

"What are his favorite books?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Errr…Why?"

"Because he seems like he might have a very good taste in reading material," she said thoughtfully. "Not that I have any time for leisure reading."

"I guess not," he said, eying her large pile of books stacked beside her.

"Oh hush," she said. "You didn't…do anything else, did you?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean sex?" he asked.

"Yes, 'sex'," she muttered.

"Oh, well, no," he shrugged. "Though that doesn't mean we've stopped. We only do it every few days."

"Every _few days_?" Hermione gasped. "Harry!"

The boy's face turned bright red. "What? We have to! For the bond."

"Oh that's the most pitiful excuse I've ever heard," she scoffed. "You're starting to talk now, right? You won't have to keep it up…"

"Maybe," he said stubbornly. "But I doubt it. Just because we managed not to kill each other last night doesn't mean it'll last."

Chocolate colored eyes narrowed suspiciously at her best friend. He was always so negative about things working out with Snape. It was hard to blame him, knowing the man, but still! He could have some faith, couldn't he? What was the worst that could happen? It wouldn't be so bad if they would both stop being so thickheaded and try to get along. She, herself, could acknowledge that Snape wasn't the most awful person alive, knowing full well that she _could_ attempt to get along with him if she absolutely had to. They both had so much riding on this bond, but they seemed to be determined that nothing would work. Why had they even agreed to bond in the first place for them to come to this point?

"Don't tell me you actually _want_ to have sex with him," she said.

"What?" Harry exclaimed. "No! That's disgusting. Why would I? He's…he's Snape! Have you seen him? No one…and I mean _no one_ would want to go there. Except Lucius Malfoy. But he's sort of desperate, isn't he?"

Her eyes widened alarmingly at the shade of pink his face was, how panicky his tone was, how shifty his eyes were. "Harry! It's wrong! You know that, don't you? Everyone says how he's in love with your mum. He's twenty years older than you _and a teacher_!"

"I know that!" Harry snapped. "It's just…it's not so bad, alright? The sex. It's pretty…it's really good, actually. I like it. Besides, it's not hurting anyone. Just…mutually beneficial…whatever it is. Agreement or something."

"Not hurting anyone? Harry, _you're pregnant_!"

"So are you!" he snapped.

Hermione sighed heavily. "If you're not the first pregnant male in history, you're the first in a long time! We don't know anything about this. It could be _dangerous_. Even then, there are your links to Voldemort. You both have them. Then, what if you get caught? Even if student-teacher relationships are allowed, they are with guidelines. If you aren't following them, he could be arrested, you could be expelled, and it would be all over the news! Not to mention you hate each other. While I admit he is not nearly as evil as we thought in first year, he's not a nice man. He could be using you. Especially if the rumors about his feelings for your mother are true. What if you get hurt? Sex isn't this casual thing people like Sirius make it out to be! To pretend it is, is just silly…"

"I'm _fine_, Hermione. Okay? And yeah, he is an arse, but I know that already so…I should be fine. Just…I dunno," he said, shaking his head. "Merlin, did I really admit to liking…gah!"

Unable to help herself, she cracked a smile. "Yes, you did."

"I never wanted to admit that."

"I know."

"He's not that good looking, is he? I dunno why it's so good."

"I guess he's just had loads of practice."

"But how would he get so much practice? He's…_him_! It's a wonder he'd been laid at all before me."

"Harry!"

"Well?"

Hermione sighed. "Well, with Malfoy I suppose I understand. It's not exactly easy to find gay men in our time. It may become more and more acceptable in the Muggle world, but prejudices in the Wizarding world are slower to move past. Plus, they have always been friends."

"Ugh. I think I'd like to stop talking about Snape having sex," Harry muttered.

"Not jealous, are you?" Hermione teased.

"Merlin, no," Harry grumbled.

"You sure?"

"Yes! Well, I walked in on them before…"

"You did?"

"Yeah. They were doing it in Snape's office…"

"No! That is so irresponsible. Anyone could have walked in! What if it had been a first year?"

"I dunno…But it did bother me a bit. We'd been having sex a lot, though, ya know? And I didn't really know about it…He was such a git about it, too, so really…Maybe it's understandable?"

"I guess," Hermione said frowning. "You don't have to have feelings for him to be bothered that he's shagging someone else."

"But it doesn't bother me anymore," he claimed.

The way he shifted around, avoiding eye contact, Hermione wasn't too sure about it. Part of her was tempted to prod him until he caved and poured out all of his feelings. It wouldn't do much good, though, she figured. She especially didn't want Harry looking too deeply into her personal thoughts and feelings. They were better left alone for now. "Does Madam Pomfrey know how many children you're having?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.

Harry cringed. Hermione frowned apologetically. Perhaps the babies weren't the best subject to veer off into. If she didn't like discussing her pregnancy in any great length, why would he? Especially not him.

"She says it's too early on to tell for sure, though she's certain there will be more than one. She also said if there are too many, the chances of survival are rather slim," he said with a frown.

The combination of potions in Harry's system were well known for having adverse side effects, one being the high risk of multiple birth pregnancies. There was good reason it was suggested not to use them together. While multiple births in Muggle language usually meant twins or triplets, in the Wizarding world it could be much worse. There was one spectacular case in the early 1960's of a woman becoming pregnant with twelve babies! Sadly, she was only able to carry one to term and he suffered long term health issues. Putting that possibility on top of the fact that Harry was _male_, it made for a very unique, as well as very dangerous, case. Of course, Hermione didn't think she'd tell him all of that. Especially not about the woman pregnant with twelve babies. Poor Harry had enough on his mind without having to worry over that.

"I'm sure it'll turn out just fine," she said with as much certainty as she could muster. Harry looked skeptical while Hermione tried her hardest not to let her expression falter. "As long as you're taking care of yourself the way you should, then you, and the babies, will be fine."

Harry mouthed the word 'Babies,' and shook his head in disbelief.

"Did you get any of that Vomit-Be-Gone?" Hermione asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Ugh. Yeah," Harry muttered with a frown.

Vomit-Be-Gone was a potion that kept you from throwing up right before you were ready to puke. Unfortunately, the more you take, the worse throwing up would be when you finally let yourself do it. Hermione and Harry had both opted to borrow some for when they were in class to keep from running to the lavatory every few minutes. Since finding out he was pregnant, it kept people from thinking he was terminally ill. It kept them in class longer, but had multiple downsides. Not only did they spend a good half hour kneeling at the toilet when their classes for the day were done, but it made your throat burn and left you in a constant state of nausea. Some days they had to wonder if it wouldn't be worth it to just stop taking it and run out of class multiple times an hour.

"That has got to be one of the last things I wanted to hear," Blaise said as he came to stand beside them. The pair glanced up at him with sheepish smiles. "The only thing worse would be having to hear details about Potter and Snape's sex life."

"Shhh!" Hermione hissed, looking around the sides of their tree at the other students pouring out of the castle. It was a beautiful day, so of course everyone who could was coming outside. Blaise was talking a bit too loudly for her comfort. "It's bad enough how everyone's been acting in Professor Snape's classes…He's probably suspicious by now!"

"I'm surprised he didn't say anything last night…or today, for that matter," Harry said.

Since telling their group about Harry's pregnancy and his affair with Snape, they had been treating both differently. It shouldn't have surprised them, but it was a bit irritating that they couldn't be more discreet with their staring or whispering. Morag MacDouagl had already asked if Harry minded her sitting in on his appointments with Madam Pomfrey. Hermione had seen her earlier sneaking up to the infirmary to ask the medi-witch the same question. Hannah and Astoria had taken to gaping at Harry like fish every time they saw him. Even the others were shooting him strange looks, muttering to one another whenever he passed. It was nothing new to Harry, but knowing, now, what it was they were talking about seemed to make him more uncomfortable than any such behavior ever had. The worst of it seemed to be Blaise's apparent amusement over the whole situation. Hermione wasn't too sure he believed it, and she wasn't too keen on forcing him to buy into it. He would see before too long that it was true.

What was worse than their treatment of Harry was their treatment of Snape. None of them said anything to anyone else, which was at least one good thing. But if they kept this up, people were going to start to wonder. It wasn't that Snape wasn't often the target of nasty glares or gossip. But this, like only a few other times, seemed powered by something greater than general dislike for the man. Snape was now the pedophilic monster who had impregnated their savior.

"He's used to it," Blaise said, waving off the whole matter.

"What did you want, Zabini?" Harry said before Hermione could argue with him.

"Hermione, of course," Blaise said with a wicked smirk.

"Bouncing back already from your infatuation with Ginny?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow while her lips curled up into a mischievous smile.

"I wouldn't call it 'infatuation' and I'm not giving up, if that's what you think," Blaise said. "I only hoped we could come to some sort of agreement."

"About?"

"Can we go somewhere private?" he asked, eying Harry distastefully.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry's fine."

"I'm staying out of everyone else's problems. I have enough of my own, don't I?" he muttered. "I already have a pretty good idea about what you want, anyway."

"Do you now?" Blaise asked with a frown.

"Kind of obvious, isn't it?" Harry pointed out. "Ginny's a smart girl, but she's probably one of the only ones who is clueless. Her and Draco."

"I thought girls were supposed to be good at this sort of thing," Blaise said, glaring over to where Ginny sat with Draco. "Reading people's emotions and all that."

"She's either blind by design or by choosing, but, either way, I doubt she knows," Hermione said. Then, realizing that this could be construed by the boys to mean she did have feelings for Draco, quickly backtracked. "About your feelings for her, Blaise. Of course."

"Mhm," Blaise said in that same tone Harry had used earlier. He didn't seem to believe her either. Hermione huffed, ready to fuss at them both about how she knew more about her feelings than they did, but Blaise went on speaking before she had the chance. "So, will you accompany me to Hogsmeade this weekend, Miss Granger?"

"I would be delighted," Hermione said with a smile, batting her eyelashes in a dramatically flirtatious manner that caused both boys to snort.

"Dress your best," Blaise told her.

If any other guy had asked such a thing, Hermione would have been offended. Knowing what this task was for, though, she could only nod in agreement. "Right. I should have something perfect for the occasion. Your house-mates probably won't even mind that I'm Muggle-born."

By the astonished, horrified look on Blaise's face, she assumed he hadn't taken her blood status into consideration. She and Harry laughed while the Slytherin composed himself, looking a bit less excited than he had just moments ago. To his credit, he didn't try backing out of the date now that he realized a problem with his choice. Besides, no one else would work just right for these plans. The hope of making Ginny jealous wasn't enough. They had to get Draco's interest in Hermione, as well. Because if they were both distracted by someone else, there was a better chance of dividing them.

"And…tell as many people as you can," Blaise instructed. "You can help, Potter."

"I'm not much for gossip, thanks," Harry said.

"Of course not," Blaise muttered.

"I'll take care of it. I'll just let it slip to Lavender Brown when I get the chance. That should take care of it," Hermione replied with a shrug, sending a sly glance back down to the lake.

"If you two stare any longer, everyone's going to know," Harry told them, tone both irritated and amused.

Blaise and Hermione quickly looked away from the pair.

"I'll get you after breakfast Saturday, then," Blaise said, and with a curt nod he was gone.

"You're seriously going to go on a date with Zabini?" Harry asked after a few minutes.

"We both know what it is, Harry. No harm will come of it," Hermione said defensively.

"Do you really think it'll work?" Harry asked quietly.

Uncertainty replaced the mischief in her brown eyes. The very thought that it wouldn't affect Draco was reasonable, though hurtful. Even if he did like Ginny, shouldn't he feel _something_ at the idea of her dating someone else? Seeing him with her best friend was killing her. Shouldn't their bond give him some insight into that? Shouldn't it give him some grief over spotting her on the arm of another boy? _What if it doesn't_? asked the voice in her head. _He probably won't even notice, he'll be too busy snogging her_.

"If it doesn't, then at least I won't feel like such a fool going to Hogsmeade _alone_ while they're off doing God knows what!" Hermione snapped.

"So you _are_ upset?" Harry asked, seeming a bit confused. Here he had sat, seeming so convinced of it earlier, and now he was showing signs of uncertainty.

"No, I'm not!"

"You like him, though," Harry said.

"No, I…Do you like Snape?"

Those green eyes formed such a look of disbelief that Hermione was tempted to laugh, even if she was aggravated with the boy. "Are you mad?"

"Exactly," she exclaimed.

"What?"

"It's mad. I don't like Draco."

"Then why are you so upset?"

"I'm not!"

"Then why are you doing this with Zabini?"

"Because he needs me to!"

"So you want to screw around with Ginny's new relationship for the sake of a bloke you're barely friends with?"

Why was Harry making so much sense today? Why did he even care? Weren't boys supposed to be oblivious to everything? Or, at the very least, so awkward dealing with such personal issues that they didn't do anything at all? She was starting to wish she had decided to study with Ron instead. He wouldn't have noticed anything was wrong. Maybe he would have been upset with what was going on with Blaise…Well, maybe Ron wasn't such a good idea after all. He would have gotten mad, blown up, and possibly landed himself, as well as Blaise, in detention. Hermione frowned gloomily. Neville might have been good company. He was the quiet one, the strength, always there to comfort instead of judge. At the same time, though, he did like giving his friend's advice and probably would have been asking questions just like Harry, though perhaps less persistent and irritating.

"Please, just let it go, Harry," Hermione pleaded, not bothering to look at him. Instead, she grabbed her books, parchment, and quill then resumed her Charms essay. After a few minutes spent watching her closely, Harry did the same.

* * *

><p>The week before the Hogsmeade trip passed by too slowly for Neville Longbottom. He had been looking forward to this weekend since Cedric had agreed to go with him, as a <em>date<em>! When it finally came, he was beside himself with joy. Hermione and Ginny giddily helped him get ready then accompanied him to the Great Hall for breakfast where they all bragged about their dates for the day. Ginny seemed a bit baffled by Hermione's decision to date Blaise Zabini, though Neville had his suspicions of why. Especially with _how_ Hermione was talking about him, always bringing it up as much as she could, going on and on about how great Blaise was. Ginny really was a bit clueless with how confused she was about why Hermione was so loud and proud about this date, though smiling supportively throughout the whole ordeal, glad that her friend seemed to be moving on. If only she knew, Neville mused. But he was too excited about his date to worry much about how silly the girls were being.

While Harry was at the opposite end of the table, news that he was going to Hogsmeade with Daphne flew just seconds after the Slytherin girl walked up to ask him. Neville couldn't have been happier for Harry, or with Daphne. His friend had been dealing with a lot since finding out he was pregnant, especially the odd looks from their fellow…friends, Neville guessed he could call them. The other soul mated students in Hogwarts. Astoria had bailed on their date, understandably hurt over learning that he was gay and involved with her Head of House. Most of their friends had dates, which, sadly, would have left Harry alone. But equally dateless Daphne swooped in to save the day, providing Harry with a much needed distraction from his troubles. Neville could have kissed her if he wasn't more interested in kissing Cedric.

Towards the end of breakfast, Neville sat through the awkward arrival of the Slytherin boys. Ginny was all eyes for Draco who mostly had eyes for her. While Ginny didn't _seem_ to notice, Neville did take note of the way the blonds' gray eyes glanced longingly at Hermione, as well as the glare shot Blaise's way. To his credit, he _did_ seem equally happy to be with Ginny. Hermione never seemed to notice the looks Draco shot her, instead looking disappointed by a lack of response. Blaise seemed just as grim over the absence of heat from either of the other couple, though he did shoot a suspicious look Draco's way just as the blond boy glanced away from him. That whole group was full of more issues and drama than Neville cared for. He could really only see it ending in disaster, so he made a mental note that he really needed to have a talk with his girls before too long. Interfering was not always the answer, but things were really getting out of hand.

Several minutes after the foursome left, Harry and Daphne walked up to chit chat for a few minutes before walking away. As they left, Neville noticed Daphne link her arm through Harry's, surprising the Gryffindor, while shooting a stern look towards Snape, who didn't seem to notice. Neville just snorted, shook his head, and continued sipping at his orange juice. Harry wasn't as close to Daphne as Neville was, but he could see them getting along well. As long as Daphne stopped trying to shoot dirty looks at her Head of House, things would be just fine.

Finally, in all of his staring, Neville caught sight of Cedric waiting hesitantly in the doorway of the Great Hall. Neville grinned then jumped out of his seat, striding as quickly as he dared to the other boy. They were all bright smiles and shy blushes, careful not to touch as they headed to Hogsmeade, not quite ready to deal tackle that issue just yet.

They had a wonderful time shopping at Honeydukes then grabbing a drink at the Three Broomsticks. Being on a date without acting as if they were wasn't so hard. No one even looked twice at them sitting together. Neville was grateful. He wasn't sure how he felt about people knowing with certainty of his sexual preferences and he sure as heck hadn't discussed it with Cedric yet. He had no intentions of doing so today. Everything was going too perfectly to want to ruin it.

They spent time together every day talking, and still hadn't run out of things to talk about. Maybe the topics would be boring to any passersby or too dull to really recount to friends, but he loved every second of it. He loved learning more about this wizard he had been so drawn to years ago. The healer-in-training was funny, smart, and so very sweet. He was easily one of the kindest people Neville had ever met. This handsome, charming, wonderful young man seemed to like _him_ as well, which completely blew his mind.

But all good things must come to an end and, sadly, their first date had to end more abruptly than perhaps it should have. They were just leaving their table when they heard the screams. Out of morbid curiosity, most of the people in the pub moved to the window to see what was happening. But once they caught a glimpse of the black robes and familiar masks they ran to the back of the building, either cowering behind the bar, pressing themselves against walls, locking themselves in closets, or stumbling out of the back door.

Neville and Cedric glanced to each other then jumped up to dash to the door. Death Eaters swarmed the village, attacking everyone in sight. "_Be careful of the boy_!" shouted one nearby. "_The Dark Lord wants him alive! Don't damage him too much!_"

They watched for a few seconds, scanning the street to see how bad it was. Several yards away Hannah Abbot drew her wand while shoving Grace, Astoria, and Dennis behind her as she shot defensive spells at the nearby Death Eaters. Her husband, meanwhile, was running away from them towards Hermione when the pregnant witch was thrown into the side of a building. Draco also rushed to her aid. Both boys looked uncertain as to whether they should help check her or defend her but, as the Death Eaters threw curses their direction, they stood guard over her with their wands drawn. Blaise had abandoned his date in favor of running after Ginny who was chasing another Death Eater. The masked wizard tripped and fell, quickly scooting away from the redheaded witch as she cast some hex upon him. Across the street stood Harry, Daphne, Luna, and Morag forming some small circle with their backs to each other, shooting curses at the advancing dark wizards. Several teachers poured out of the building behind them. Snape shoved his way through to them while McGonagall ran towards Hermione, Flitwick towards Hannah, and Sirius in another direction entirely.

"Dear Merlin," Neville gasped, fumbling for his wand while Cedric easily pulled his out.

They hadn't even practiced, yet! They had bonded, yes, but they hadn't been practicing the way Dumbledore had instructed. Daily they would meet up and talk, but rarely got any work done, though each day they promised they would the next. They weren't ready for this, but there wasn't a choice. Their friends were in danger and they had to help, even if the whole thing looked like a lost cause.

Without another word or glance, they jumped out into the street together, aiming their wands into the sea of black. Neville silently prayed that they would take down as many of the Death Eaters as they could before they were killed.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Been a while but I'm back! I did struggle a bit with this chapter so I hope it's alright!

Great news! We're past the 600 review mark! I'm so excited! Thanks so much to French Pixie who reviewed multiple chapters along the way while reading which helped boost up to this point and made my day seeing so many new reviews in my inbox so long after I last posted a chapter! Of course, I appreciate everyone who took the time to review! I love my ever faithful reviewers and I trust you'll keep doing so to keep me informed of how decently I'm doing my job! Thank you so much Tokugawa Blitzer, AlmondWithUnicornHair, NocturnalRose, Anniriel, Dark's Mistress, demomic-rush, ariana2606, Kashi-Cookie-Monster, ieatmyfeelings, sev's-sexy-mistress, autumngold, Sirius-dorkis010, Clockpark (sorry bout that! I'm kinda dumb sometimes :P) Sydney-Jo, crystalclear8050, vampy-chan17, Alex, Gabrielle Rickman Snape, xXxElectraxXx, YetAnotherJanewayFan, Reader-anonymous, Allison Young, French Pixie, MagicalWinry, Nightcurse, and Paige Taylor! You guys are so amazing and I love you muches! Remember! Reviews are like food to a muse…You've kept her well fed so don't stop now! And she's a bottomless pit, so we can never have too many ;) hehehe. Yes, I'm weird. But that's okay.

Big humungo thanks to my amazingful beta for fixing up this chapter and all of the others!

Also please note that I so did not expect to get anything up this month and updates will be a bit uncertain for a while. If you want a better idea of my progress with my stories and when you can expect a new chapter, feel free to like me on FB! We have fun there ;)


	32. Chapter 31

**CHAPTER THIRTY ONE**

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><p>The throb of almost numbed pain was the first thing Hermione was aware of upon waking. For several minutes, she laid there, eyes closed, soaking in the feel of her mind and body, attempting to remember where she was and why she was here as well as the events before her sleep. There had been a battle at Hogsmeade, she finally remembered. She had been attacked. Sharp pain had exploded through her body at the feel of the Cruciatus Curse, falling over, arms winding around her midsection in hopes of protecting her unborn child, Ron and Draco jumping between her and the Death Eaters. Professor McGonagall had tried to step in to help, but ended up distracted for a few minutes warding off Death Eaters coming at her. There were too many of them. She had been hit by another curse, it made her body feel like it was on fire, before counteracting with one that sharply dropped the temperature of her body. A Death Eater grabbed then tried to take off with her, but Ron hexed him while Draco grabbed her before Apparating them right outside of the gates of Hogwarts. It all became a bit fuzzy after that. Flashes of their walk to the castle, of Madam Pomfrey hovering over her, Draco and Ron at her side, whispering quietly to one another a conversation she couldn't understand.<p>

Groaning quietly, she began to open her eyes, cringing at the bright light of the infirmary. A glance around the room told her that many had suffered in the battle. She tried finding familiar faces but, as she tried to sit up, her vision swam, forcing her to lie back down. With a shaky hand she rubbed down the front of her body, over the small bump of her stomach. Fear crept into her heart as her fingers tightened on her skin. How was her son? Was he alright? Her body had been tossed around, put through hell out there, but there had been no direct blows to her stomach that she was aware of. He could be alright, couldn't he? Hermione swallowed hard, slowly opening her eyes once more to find Madam Pomfrey making her way over to her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked briskly.

"Awful," she croaked, throat incredibly sore and dry, leaving her voice very hoarse and quiet.

"Well, that's only to be expected," the mediwitch said, shaking her head. "There isn't much more to be done. You'll need plenty of rest, as well as taking a pain potion, but you'll survive."

"Survive. Has anyone…?" she asked quietly, voice going out before she could finish her question. The sad look in Madam Pomfrey's eyes told her she understood what she meant.

"There were several causalities, but nothing you should worry about now. You need no more stress than you already suffer," Madam Pomfrey said. "Though I fear there _is_ something I need to tell you."

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><p>With the infirmary so packed, Madam Pomfrey had, reluctantly, allowed Snape to remain in his own rooms for recovery. Because of their bond, Dumbledore allowed Harry to stay by his side. The man had gone out of his way to protect Harry and his friends. He owed it to him to make sure he was alright. Despite their differences, the man was a hero, a necessary ally to their side, and Harry's soul mate. No matter what wrongs he had committed, especially against Harry, he couldn't just walk away and feel nothing about the fact that he had been gravely injured.<p>

While the other adults tried to hide their conversations, Harry managed to overhear as they talked in the living room. Dumbledore wasn't sure if Snape's position was compromised or not. He likely could explain any defiance towards the Death Eaters as him protecting his role among the Order of the Phoenix, but the fact that the other Death Eaters would so readily attack him, and so harshly, was concerning. The headmaster seemed unwilling to let him return to Voldemort's side, though he expressed the thought that he might not have a choice, that Severus would fight tooth and nail to return to the fold if there was any chance at all of salvaging his role as a spy.

Harry wished he could make him stay. He didn't like Snape at all, maybe he was useful as a spy, but Harry had seen how those meetings could be. Ever since Voldemort's return he had caught glimpses of their meetings, and even a couple of times since bonding with Snape, normally through Snape's perspective rather than Voldemort's. The Dark Lord could be so charming, so manipulative, but, also, very sadistic. How anyone could still have followers after treating them so monstrously was beyond him. How could anyone pledge their allegiance to such a monster? Maybe the likes of psychotic individuals such as Bellatrix Lestrange and the Carrow siblings, but most weren't that far gone in their mental stability. Surely, nothing was worth that sort of treatment.

Snape may have been many awful things, but for him to go back to that time and time again for their effort was great. Harry frowned as he sat by the man's bed, watching him sleep. It was easy to hate him, to think the very worst on any other day when he was nothing more than a nasty bastard. But right now he was vulnerable, injured, and a hero.

In Hogsmeade, Harry had been having a good time. The first in a long time. There hadn't been much time for enjoyment in anything since Voldemort came back his fourth year. Then, since the end of sixth year, learning about the Horcruxes and the Soul Bond, things sort of snowballed from there. So much had been happening, so much stress, so much shock and insanity that it was hard to just relax. Daphne asking him to go with her had been a great opportunity and, while he had never spent a lot of time with Luna and even less with Daphne and Morag, he actually found himself having a great time. At least once he forbade Morag from mentioning his pregnancy at all. With that topic forgotten, she proved to be very clever. She took things too literally sometimes, but she and Luna together were entertaining. Daphne, herself, was so much nicer, as well as interesting. than Harry ever gave her credit for, always assuming she was some brain-dead lackey of Pansy Parkinson. It was a good time cut way too short by the attack.

Then there had been Snape. He had come out of a nearby pub with the other teachers, rushing to his aid without a second thought. Luna and Morag, recently bonded, worked together effortlessly while Daphne was a bit unsteady, uncertain with her fighting. Harry had to deflect oncoming spells from her many times. She gave it a good effort and, while she rarely hit the Death Eater she meant to, there were still enough swarming around that she managed to take down a good few of them. While Harry defended Daphne, Snape was defending him. A few times, Harry even managed to return the favor.

But Harry had seen Snape fight before. He had seen it in his visions and had seen it in person at the end of last year when the Death Eaters tried getting into Hogwarts. The man moved easily, was a gifted duelist, and this was nowhere near his best. Something was very off with him. It wasn't just him either. While Harry managed to hit a lot of them, he couldn't feel the strength he normally did while casting spells. There was something off. They didn't hit nearly as strongly as he intended.

He wasn't the only one who noticed. From the living room, Dumbledore and McGonagall were still talking in hushed tones. Their bond wasn't strong enough. The sex wasn't working. To some extent, perhaps it was. Their magic wasn't as wild as it had been. But it wasn't as strong as usual, either. It wasn't anywhere near the power they had hoped to gain by bonding in the first place. They had begun meeting to talk, as requested, but it wasn't enough. It had come too late and they paid the price for it. Harry had been injured, nearly lost the babies, and had sustained serious injury to his left leg. From the knee down, it was in constant burning pain, left to a dulled, throbbing ache under the effects of a potion. It was cursed. Madam Pomfrey knew the treatment, but it would take time to fully heal. Walking was difficult, but he managed. It was like stepping on a burning hot nail every time he put his weight onto it. Currently, he had the stiff limb propped up on a chair in front of him.

Snape had suffered a great deal worse. The same curse that had hit his leg had also hit the entire left side of his body. Not only would walking be hard, but so would writing, brewing and many other every day activities. A cut on his right arm by a poisoned blade had been so badly infected they had seriously considered amputating it until Snape roused long enough to mutter the name of a few potions, one of which Madam Pomfrey instantly recognized could help the area and almost cried in relief upon finding it in the very back of Snape's stores. It had left a nasty mark that was going to scar, but it wouldn't be the first to mar the man's pale flesh. His left shoulder had been badly burned by flames someone had shot at him. The area was still very pink and sensitive, but it would heal nicely, Madam Pomfrey had assured him.

Green eyes stared unseeingly at the injuries, struggling to listen to the conversation taking place outside when the voices became unintelligible again. If only he had some Extendable Ears with him. It was tempting to get up to press his ear to the door, but it would be hard to pretend he was innocent if someone so happened to walk into the room. Besides, he was supposed to be here in case Snape needed anything. The closer he was, the better.

As it was, Harry wasn't paying enough attention for it to matter. Snape managed to shift around on his bed, moan, and blink open his eyes without Harry noticing at all. Kingsley was out there with news of who they had managed to capture. He only caught a few of the names, and no one he recognized. Dumbledore was shushing them, saying they should probably move this meeting to his office while asking someone to volunteer to stay behind with Harry and Snape.

"Potter," Snape grumbled wearily. "What are you doing?"

"Shhh," Harry said without thinking, trying to catch the rest of the conversation, heart sinking when he realized they really were leaving. It probably was a smarter idea to hold a meeting in the headmaster's office. Harry wondered why they had convened in Snape's rooms. Maybe they had all come to meet Dumbledore here and they just hadn't thought to move, or maybe the headmaster wasn't willing to leave Snape for the first few hours or something.

"Kindly do not hush me in my own bedroom," Snape hissed.

"Yeah, well…Hey, you're awake!" Harry said in surprise, really looking at Snape for the first time in a while.

"Astounding observation, Mr. Potter."

"No need to be a git. Oh, Madam Pomfrey said to get you to drink this when you woke up," Harry said, scrambling out of his chair, wobbling on his injured leg and hissing in pain. Then he quickly looked all over the room for the phial the matron had placed in his care. Finally, he found it on the bedside table next to a glass of water. Before he could reach for it, Snape grabbed it then raised an eyebrow at him. Harry flushed, plopping back down in his chair. As Snape opened the phial and drank from it, Harry grabbed his bad leg, pulling it onto the second chair. "How are you feeling?"

"How, pray tell, does that concern you?"

"I was just asking," Harry snapped defensively.

"Surely they didn't leave _you_ as my caretaker, Potter? Injured as I am, I would be better off on my own."

Harry sucked in a deep breath, counting to ten in his head as he calmed himself. It was no use rising to Snape's level, no matter how tempting. "Thank you."

Snape raised a dark eyebrow skillfully. "For?"

"Helping. During the battle," Harry explained nervously, beginning to regret the decision to say anything at all.

"Don't flatter yourself. I was doing my duty."

"I still appreciate it," he said, narrowing his eyes. Then, if only to annoy the man, "The babies are fine."

The man was quiet for a moment, just glowering at him, black eyes flickering down to his abdomen now and then. Eventually he growled out, "It would be best if you leave."

His arms and legs twitched, body automatically making to respond to the command, though he managed to stop himself in time. "Two boys and a girl. In case you wanted to know."

"What do I care about your _fetuses_, Potter? I do believe I told you to _leave_. You are not welcome here."

"Aren't I? Felt pretty welcome a few days ago," Harry snapped.

"That's because the only thing you're good for is spreading your legs like a whore. Even then it's only for the sake of the damnable bond. One would think you would have gathered _some_ skill in the area by now, but alas…"

Enough was enough. What had he been thinking earlier, all of those nice thoughts about the man? Ridiculous. Now Harry was too enraged to think straight. He scrambled to his feet, the sharp pain in his leg an afterthought as he made to punch Snape, only to have the man grab his fist with both hands, shoving him away easily. Not only did he fall back, but managed to stumble over both chairs in the process, landing spectacularly on his back beneath one chair and on top of the other. He cried out in pain as sharp edges slammed into his flesh.

"I've got it! Don't you worry, I can do it!" said a familiar voice from outside the door.

"Hitting a wounded man, Mr. Potter? Tsk tsk. And to think I just saved your life," Snape snarled.

"Could care less 'bout all of that," Harry muttered, angrily pushing the chair off of him.

The door burst open to produce Tonks, her hair wildly curly and vivid purple, a hand resting on her slight bump. "Alright in here? Harry?"

"I would be touched by your care, Potter, did I not suspect you meant that you '_couldn't_' care less, in which case I freely remind you that _you_ were the one sitting by my sickbed, inquiring of my health," Snape responded sarcastically. He then turned to Tonks. "Potter was just leaving. As should you."

"Well…err…Albus wants me to stay here. You really should have someone around…Just in case," she said with an uncertain shrug.

He looked ready to argue, but ended up shaking his head. "At least do me the courtesy of escorting Mr. Potter far from here. I will attempt to do myself no harm in your absence."

"Err…Right. Harry?"

"Coming," he grumbled, struggling to his feet. With a bad leg it was harder than usual, but he managed, stumbling around for a few seconds before steadying himself. "Don't really know why I wasted any of my time on this prat anyway."

Tonks's eyes grew wide. "Harry!"

"Twenty points from Gryffindor."

"Screw you, too."

"Another ten."

"How…" Harry began to say, but Tonks grabbed his arm, pulling him out of the room before he could ruin all of Gryffindor's chances at the House Cup.

"You need to be careful, Harry. He _is_ your teacher," Tonks said reluctantly.

"And? He's a right prat!" Harry exclaimed.

"True as that may be," she said, "you don't want to get in any trouble. Aren't you supposed to be…trying to get along or something? I mean…not that it's your fault, but…well…Professor Dumbledore was saying that…that it might have been a smidge better if…if the bond was stronger."

"Yeah? Thanks. Like I didn't already think that," Harry snapped coldly. "I can show myself out, thanks. Go watch over the slimy git."

"You…you really shouldn't be alone, Harry," Tonks said.

It wasn't fair to her for him to be so rude. Snape was the one who was rubbing him the wrong way. All of his anger should be directed to him, not to people who cared, who were only trying to help. Every time he opened his mouth, though, he could only think of more ugly things to say. The sarcastic bastard was getting to him more than he thought. Ashamed of himself, Harry bowed his head, taking several deep breaths before mumbling out, "Sorry."

Tonks smiled softly. "That's alright, Harry," she said, ruffling his hair. "We all know what he can be like. Just take it easy. _Try_ to ignore him. They…they say, don't they, that if you ignore bullies they eventually stop?"

"Whoever said that never met Snape," Harry snorted. "He'll never give up, bored or not."

"You might be giving him too much credit," said Remus, pushing open the entrance door. He was wearing a kind smile that didn't reach his amber eyes. "Do you want to switch wi…"

"I'm fine, Remus. Don't worry about it. I can survive a few hours with the…" Tonks said, blushing as she stopped herself from referring to the man as something rude. "Err…him."

"Right then," Remus said. "C'mon, Harry. I'll show you back to the common room. Unless you'd like to visit your friends in the infirmary?"

"Yeah…I should go see them. Make sure they're alright," Harry said, glaring over his shoulder at Snape's door. He really hated that bastard. But part of him hated leaving him behind in the state he was in. It didn't make much sense. With the way Snape was, he _deserved _to be in pain.

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><p>Madam Pomfrey had only kept them in the infirmary about an hour before ushering them out, wanting to keep the crowd to a minimum, so as to allow the injured some measure of rest. Several hours after their banishment from the hospital wing, the group made its way back. Even with the knowledge of new camaraderie between some of the Slytherins and Gryffindors, seeing Blaise and Draco walk down the corridors alongside Ginny, Ron, and Hannah was strange. Even those in the group might have agreed, had they all not been worried. Hermione and Daphne had both been badly wounded in the battle, still unconscious when they had left. Hopefully, Madam Pomfrey had managed to heal some of the others and they would be allowed back in to care for their friends.<p>

"We can try to find Harry, too," Ron said. "I'm sure he's tired of the git by now."

"Ronald, can you stop _for once_?" Ginny sighed in exasperation.

"What?" Ron demanded, stunned.

"Never mind," Ginny grumbled.

Blaise was tempted to comment about Weasley's immaturity, but found he didn't have the motivation to be a bastard right now. Not when one of his best friends had been near death the last he saw her. While they argued a lot, Daphne had been one of his closest friends since childhood. Everyone they knew assumed they would fall in love and get married one day but, aside from taking her to the Yule Ball fourth year and deciding to be each other's first kiss as well as giving each other their virginities, there was just nothing between them. _She_ could have been his soul mate, he couldn't help but feel. Their closeness was untainted by the sorrow and complexity of romance, strengthened by years at each other's sides, sharing just about everything. He could swear he hated her sometimes, imagine wringing her neck at the worst of them, but he had no idea what he'd do if anything really bad happened to her.

"He really should be with everyone else. Everyone's going to ask where he is, aren't they? And how he is? What if people start to suspect something? They'll be in so much trouble," Hannah said worriedly, wringing her hands.

"I doubt anyone's going to assume anything. Most people are too concerned about the damage their loved ones suffered than anything else," Ginny remarked coldly.

"Oh, I guess so," Hannah said, oblivious to Ginny's icy glare. "I'm just so worried for him. Golly. Do you know what people will _say_?"

"He's quite used to people making absurd assumptions," Draco pointed out dazedly. It was a wonder he had been paying attention to the conversation at all. The whole time he had been acting as if he was in his own little world. Considering his soul mate was badly injured, being given no word about her condition or his unborn child's, no one could blame him.

"Yeah, but if they thought…_that_…it would be true. So…" Hannah said, trailing off, making strange waving motions with her hand as though indicating something that no one understood.

Ginny sighed heavily, looking away from the Hufflepuff while her brother gave her a sharp look, silently warning her to be careful with how she treated her sister-in-law.

Silence fell on them as they ascended yet another staircase shortly after it moved, glad to find that it would still be taking them where they needed to be, if only a bit further than they had hoped. As they neared the infirmary, new waves of anxiety overcame them. Ginny sought solace in taking Draco's hand while Hannah grabbed onto Ron's arm, holding herself as closely to him as she could while retaining the ability to walk. Sensing that Ginny was upset, Blaise walked behind the others to come up on Ginny's other side, gently rubbing her back before letting her wind her arm through his, pulling him closer as she stepped nearer Draco, the three now huddled as closely as Ron and Hannah. It slowed their walking, but none were particularly excited to see what had become of their friends.

The battle had been terrifying, had happened so quickly that it didn't feel as though it had actually taken place. It could have been a nightmare for all they knew. Blaise had been so worried about Ginny that he had followed her all around, aiding her in her fighting. Not once did he spare a thought for any of his other friends, only determined to stay by her side, never take his eyes off of her, give her any help she could need. Maybe if he had been looking out for Daphne more, she would be okay. Ginny had proven herself a skilled fighter, but Blaise knew that his friend wasn't nearly so accomplished. Hell, he had abandoned his _pregnant date_ to run after the redhead! Not that it mattered much. Draco and Ron had both rushed to her side. Ron had left his own _wife_ to go to his ex-girlfriend. It was no wonder Hannah had been so clingy since their return.

Of course, Draco and Ron's help hadn't done Hermione much good. Even McGonagall had gone to help them, from what he had heard, and she had still taken the brunt of the attack. Did they know she was pregnant? Probably. That was the point, right? To hit them all where it hurt the most. The news of her pregnancy had spread like a wildfire throughout the school. Most of the Slytherin students were related to Death Eaters. They'd have been more than happy to share the information with them. Blaise shuddered in disgust.

Just as they turned a corner, they saw a very pale Hermione Granger walking aimlessly their direction. Everyone put Hannah perked up at seeing her. Ron made to go towards her, but Hannah on his arm made it difficult to move. The trio dispersed easily, running towards her. Hermione blinked as Ginny threw her arms around her, Draco and Blaise coming up on either side. Her eyes were wide, disbelieving, and Draco chuckled in relief upon seeing her. If she was out, walking around, then she was more than fine! He really expected her to be lying in the infirmary for at least a week! Blaise put his hand on her shoulder while Draco began to stroke her back.

The brunette took a shuddering breath, seeming to snap out of whatever daze had taken hold of her. "I can't," she gasped, shaking her head, pulling away from them.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked with a frown.

"I can't," Hermione muttered.

Draco and Blaise shared a look. Maybe she wasn't so well, after all. With the sheer number of victims, it was entirely possible that she had managed to escape. Draco stepped forward to take her arm. They could bring her back. She was obviously distraught. Weak. Most of the physical damage _looked_ to be cured, but that didn't mean she was alright to be walking around the corridors. "Let's go…"

"No. No, no, no," she gasped, eyes welling with tears. "Oh, Draco. I can't."

"Can't what?" Draco asked, taking both of her arms, trying to meet her arms.

"I'm so sorry!" Hermione wailed, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Sorry for what?" he asked, heart hammering in panic.

"Shouldn't…No. No, no, no," Hermione said, determination strengthening her broken voice.

"You're not making any sense," he said, looking wildly to the others for help who could only gape at them.

"Oh God," Hermione sobbed, body trembling violently in his arms. "Baby."

"Baby?" he asked, heart stopping.

"Dead. Oh, Draco!" she cried, legs giving out. All of her weight fell upon him, Draco having to hold her tighter to hold her upright. "Gone. Baby gone…Lost…lost the baby. Shite. No! Merlin! Oh, Draco. So sorry…Oh God. No, no, no, no, no."

The baby was gone? All emotion fled as his own body lost control. He fell to the floor, gripping Hermione tightly in his arms, dazedly rocking back and forth with her crying form. Her tears were warm and wet against his neck, wild brown hair tickling his face, her wails piercing and delivering him one of the worst migraines he could remember suffering. Hermione clung to him like a lifeline while all he could offer were awkward pats to her back.

Until her muttered apologies began to sink in. When he had spent so much time trying to forget his impending fatherhood, it was something he couldn't forget during the battle or these long, miserable hours waiting for the appropriate time to rush to her side. His son had never been born. Had never really existed, had he?

Oh, but he had. Because Draco could feel the loss deep in his heart. Like a switch turning on, that hollow feeling was replaced by an onslaught of emotion that left him breathless. Tears stung his eyes, breath catching in his throat as he held Hermione even closer to him. Vaguely, he was aware of the others surrounding, falling to their knees around them, offering silent condolences in hugs and pats. How could anyone care so much for someone they had never met? His imagination ran wild, picturing a miniature version of himself. Holding a baby in his arms, steadily a toddler on a toy broomstick, leading a small blond boy to the Hogwarts Express, seeing him graduate, and all of it crumbling to the ground in the realization that it would never be. Grey eyes squeezed tightly closed as Draco buried his wet face in tangled brown hair, desperately breathing in the scent of her cherry and jasmine shampoo, wanting desperately to take all of the comfort offered and feeling none of it.

* * *

><p>Surprisingly, just an hour after the end of the battle, Neville Longbottom was feeling better than ever! It was all thanks to his soul mate. Cedric was a gifted healer, even if he hadn't finished all of his training. They thought nothing of the miraculous recovery until Dumbledore came to check the progress, making some cryptic remarks about the bond. Only Madam Pomfrey followed up the short visit, taking in their bemused expressions before explaining that the headmaster assumed that the healing process was, in part, aided by their bond. Which was ludicrous, in her opinion. Every cut and scrape had been mended by the use of potions and spells!<p>

"Do you really think the bond had something to do with it?" Neville asked quietly as Madam Pomfrey moved on to see to Grace Potter's concussion.

"It's possible," Cedric said with a blush. "Isn't it…isn't that what helped us then?"

The battle. The whole thing had gone by so quickly that Neville could barely remember specific details. All he knew was that Cedric was by his side the whole time, that they worked so well together. Every move one made, the other moved in sync with them. They dodged curses easily and those they couldn't the other deflected. Neville had never thought himself very good with Defense. Even being taught by Harry Potter in the D.A. fifth year then fighting Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries hadn't raised his confidence levels much. There was something so natural about fighting when he was with Cedric, though. He felt so at ease. The knowledge that everything would work out just fine had given him all the strength and focus he needed to fire spells, curses, and hexes all around him. Everything had been so clear to him then. There was no questioning any of it. Something much bigger than himself had guided him throughout it all. Particular spells he had always been rather gifted with had been cast with more grace and power than he had ever experienced. It was mind-boggling. They had never practiced Defense together since their bond, but they apparently hadn't needed to.

How had their bond become so strong without even practicing? Would it get much better if they did practice? The Soul Bond had always seemed so sketchy, but right now it all made so much sense. Everyone should bond! The war would be a piece of cake with this on their side.

"I like to think so," Neville said shyly. "Err…Would you like to test it out? I mean to see if the bond is helping me heal?" Hazel eyes stared pointedly at the nasty cut in Cedric's shoulder. Despite their new prowess with fighting, they had still been hit a few times. Cedric had been stabbed with a cursed blade, an awful cut that was deep, already looking horribly infected. Blood oozed from black and green wound that he hadn't bothered to fix up. The moment he entered the infirmary, Cedric had set to work helping his bond mate as well as the others in his vicinity.

"Uhh…Yeah, sure," Cedric said, coughing as he stood up to look for the right potion. "It'll be a process. You'll have to rub this over it five minutes after I drink this. Then you'll have to say an incantation as you do it." After he swallowed the pumpkin colored potion he explained exactly how Neville had to apply the potion, what words he needed to speak, and when he needed to speak them. The time that was done, five minutes were up and Neville was dipping his fingers into the pale brown salve. Carefully he rubbed his fingers over the wound, surprised by just how _hot_ it was. It was like touching fire! Cedric smiled apologetically as Neville counted the seconds away in his head, changing the direction of his fingers as he began chanting in Latin. Only a minute later, the hot feeling cooled down, the black of the wound quickly turning gray. Neville gaped at it, fingers slowing without his permission. Once he realized this he picked up the pace again, shaking his head.

"How does it feel?" Neville asked timidly.

"Loads better," Cedric said in amazement. "That should have taken at least two days to recover. We'll probably only have to do this twice more before it's completely healed!"

Neville grinned broadly to the way Cedric's eyes lit up. It was comforting to know, as well, that he had in some way helped his bond mate to feel better. That he was helping him heal so much faster than he would have otherwise. Any reservations, any doubts he had ever had about the bond, disappeared. He couldn't wait to talk to Dumbledore more about this, whenever the man actually had time!

Cedric had to go back to work, helping Madam Pomfrey tend to their many patients. Some of them had to be shipped off to St. Mungo's for anything that was beyond their capability, all of the most serious injuries. After being checked over and cleared, Neville reluctantly let himself be shooed from the infirmary, heading down to the Great Hall for dinner. It was mostly first and second years, though a few of the older students were scattered around.

Applause erupted all around. Neville spun around, half expecting to see Harry behind him. But there was no one there. Turning back around, he found himself being pulled toward the Gryffindor table by Seamus and Lavender. As he was seated, Lavender pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek with a high pitched giggle. Seamus slapped him on the back. They brought him to the table where Dean and Parvati were sitting. Instantly, the other Gryffindors moved to crowd around him while students from other tables walked by to congratulate or thank him.

"Nice work, Longbottom!"

"You were _brilliant_ out there, Neville!"

"Can't _believe_ you and Diggory managed to take out McNair! That man is _scary_!"

"Impressive!"

"My _hero_!" Lavender cooed.

"Are you seeing anyone, Neville?"

"Great job!"

"Think you can teach me that hex you sent at what's his face? Carrow? The one that made him start swelling up like that? That was serious stuff, mate!"

"You and Diggory could have fought that whole battle by yourselves!"

"Never seen anyone fight so good before!"

"I thought _Potter_ was good at this stuff. You're the one to beat, mate!"

For the first several minutes, Neville sat in stunned disbelief as people who had barely given him the time of day before came by with their smiles, hugs, kisses, handshakes, and everything else they had to offer him. He wasn't used to this. Didn't know how to handle it. All he could do was blush hotly, grin like a fool, and feel pride bursting in his chest. For the first time in his life he had been really good at something that everyone else could recognize. Neville had always excelled in Herbology, but aside from desperate pleas for homework help in that subject, no one paid much mind to it. He still preferred working with his plants to fighting Death Eaters, but…this wasn't so bad.

So caught up in the attention, he hardly noticed the strange taste in his pumpkin juice.

That was until Lavender's eyes widened in horror. "Oh gosh! You poor thing!"

"What?" Neville said, still smiling.

"You…your…Oh _dear_!" she exclaimed, eyes shining in admiration quickly dimming in pity.

He had only just noticed his skin turning purple when he hiccupped. His vision then turned orange. Everything everywhere was a different shade of orange! The only thing of a different color were the green spots on his arms.

A minute later he hiccupped again. Everything was blue, but his spots were red.

Wild laughter came from the Slytherin table.

Those around him were stifling laughter. Lavender slowly turned away from him. That wonderful feeling within him deflated. Heat filled his cheeks, proud posture slumping as his once joyous eyes fell to the table. Arguably, one of the best moments of his life ruined by a new humiliation.

"Are you sure it was Longbottom out there?" shrieked the voice of Pansy Parkinson. "Couldn't even shield his cup from a few drops of the Jumping Colors Solution!"

"Shut it, Parkinson!" Seamus snapped. "Ignore her, Neville. Err…We can get a remedy for this. No big deal."

"Doesn't change the fact that you were a real hero today," Dean added sympathetically.

It only made him feel a little better. But knowing his friends were there to back him up, he sat tall and continued with his meal. The changing colors every few minutes was annoying, but he wasn't going to bother Madam Pomfrey right now when she had more important things to deal with. Knowing that, several floors up, a lot of people were suffering so much worse than simple public embarrassment was a sobering thought. Besides, when his vision turned purple and he could tell Lavender she really was lavender, it warmed her back up to him, allowing the others at the table to relax, picking on him in a manner more friendly than cruel. So when Theodore Nott slid over, attempting to slide something else into his drink, he got more than he bargained for when five different wands shot five different hexes at him.

The loss of house points really had been worth it, they all later assured him.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Sorry it's been taking me so long to get posts up! I can't say it'll continue to be good, though I do think I'll get the next chapter done before the week's up =) I've been very excited for the chapter and already have the start of the second scene written! I will have a busy week this week, but I should still get it done faster than usual!

Big thanks to my lovely reviewers: xXxElectraxXx, Kashi-Cookie-Monster, Princess1heart1Hubby, Anniriel, cherub68, Clockpark, Nightcurse, Tokugawa Blitzer, siris-dorkis010, Gemini Peverell, ieatmyfeelings, Bloody Dawn, dogsby, Nocturnal Rose, AlmondWithUnicornHair, YetAnotherJanewayFan, French Pixie, Petit Minet, Sydney-Jo, sev's-sexy-mistress, Jisa, ghostboi, vampy-chan17, Draechaeli, Sora Kohaku, shine lots, and mayajane! Everyone's been so nice in their reviews and I really appreciate it! I'd love to hear your thoughts so if you've been reviewing, please continue, and if you haven't, please start!

Also gotta give credit to my bud, Tokugawa Blitzer, for being there to read over things when I need her to, and always there to talk about aspects I'm having trouble with! She makes things a lot easier on me!

And of course a big thanks to my beta Dani for being so awesome and fixing my chapters all nice and neat!

Next chapter will include a time jump of a few months so be prepared! We'll be around January 11 when we come back!

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	33. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER THIRTY TWO**

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><p>Life continued much the same for the following months. Snape was an awful git, his wounds secretly celebrated by most students who were glad for the various substitutes they had in Potions. Harry wasn't so fortunate. While the man was still healing, they couldn't be expected to train, though Dumbledore insisted they continue to meet to work on strengthening the bond. When the time rolled around for them to copulate, Harry was hesitant as Snape was insistent, eventually finding a way to have sex without disturbing the man's injuries too much. He was back in his classroom after a week and a half, though he didn't fully recover for another month. It was an unnaturally long process, Madam Pomfrey had commented, though Dumbledore assured her that it was due to their weak bond, the disappointment the older man displayed properly chastising the younger wizards.<p>

The two put more effort into not fighting during their conversations, even, at times, making an attempt outside of them. They _had_ to learn how to get along, though both were very reluctant to do so. It only took realizing that not doing so came at a higher cost than both were willing to pay that gave them the determination to swallow their pride, let go of their stubborn ways, and force themselves to play nice.

For a while, though they held off their more biting remarks, they did remain very hostile towards one another. It took weeks for them to relax into their routine, slowly accepting that nothing too awful was going to take place. They never discussed anything too personal either. For a while, they focused on learning each other's likes and dislikes, covering everything they could possibly think of before realizing they had to move on. After that, they began covering topics such as school work, gossip, world events, Quidditch, Hermione's SPEW efforts, and any other safe topic they could think of. Harry learned that any reference to pregnancy or children was unwelcome, thus causing Snape to break any attempt at holding back his cruelty, normally ending their meetings in disaster. What surprised him most was Snape's willingness to help him with his homework. He was hardly pleased in agreeing to it, but like Harry figured it was something safe they could do together. For the bond. When Snape actually had to work at not being a git, he was actually a very good instructor. Most things Snape explained went completely over his head the first time they went over it, but Snape would then dummy it down for him with a minimum of snide remarks about his intelligence, or lack thereof. Voldemort was another sketchy topic that Harry liked to avoid nowadays. While the war was their main reason for entering into this troublesome bond, it was not something they should ever discuss.

Never, not once, did they allow themselves to open up too much. Already, the conversations they had revealed much more of themselves than they were comfortable with sharing. But they both had a lot worse to say, secrets they would cling to, hide and offer all of their protection to. The moment any one topic began to head in the direction of any personal stories, they would quickly cut it off, latching onto something else. When Harry's talking of his favorite television program nearly led him to his speaking of how the Dursleys had treated him, never letting him watch TV, threatening to not give him dinner if they caught him sneaking peaks, it had terrified him, leading to a very dull, awkward conversation about Snape's chair that they managed to stretch out for a good twenty minutes. Where had he gotten it? When? What color was it, really? No, he wasn't blind, but it was so dark in the room it was hard to tell! Did he always sit there? Did he let anyone else sit there? What sort of wood was used? What was the fabric? Only when they ran out of every possible way to lead the discussion did Harry manage to calm down enough to continue their list of likes and dislikes. Snape also seemed to have a few moments of that nature at seemingly strange moments. He could admit to some curiosity, but his own fears over having to say too much kept him from wanting to know _too_ much.

Christmas holidays came and went with no great disturbance, other than Grace teasing him as well as trying to convince him to tell their parents of his pregnancy. Until Harry knew exactly what he was going to do with the babies, he wasn't open to telling them. Even then, he doubted he would want to. How exactly would he go about that conversation? Telling his friends had been hard enough. His parents were going to lose it! It had been strange enough having to tell them he was going to have to visit Snape every few days, even with the excuse of working on the bond. Christmas Eve night he had come back after a particularly rough time with Snape that had been spectacular, though it left him limping a bit the next couple of days.

Luckily, they didn't seem to suspect anything.

Now, they were back at Hogwarts. Had been for a week. A long week of returning to their usual schedule with the added pressure from all around that NEWTs were coming up before too long. As it was Sunday, Hermione tried to badger him into all-day studying session as she had on Saturday, but he declined. Normally, he tried to study with her for a few hours, at least on weekends. After losing the baby, she had sort of lost herself in her work, well, more than usual. All social activities had ceased unless she was helping other people study. If anyone tried to nudge her towards any other subject, she shooed them away. Unless it was the Soul Bond, that is. Along with studying for all of her classes, she was still doing stellar research on bonds.

She wouldn't even listen to any offers of comfort or sympathies. Anything to do with babies would cause her to promptly leave the room without another word. It was as though she wanted to go on with life as if she had never been pregnant at all. It wasn't very healthy, but no one had made any progress trying to help her deal with it. The thought of just leaving her alone all of the time made Harry feel guilty, so he offered his presence when he could, giving input when possible, though it wasn't very often. Today, though, he needed to be alone. Hermione hardly seemed bothered, only waving him off as she dragged her bag into an unused classroom. Most of her studying was done in rooms like these now, wanting to avoid people as much as possible.

Almost everyone else was enjoying their weekend. They walked the grounds with friends, planned secret rendezvouses with lovers, playing games in common rooms, or even flying around the Quidditch pitch. Harry stared longingly in the direction of the pitch as he walked alongside the lake, shoving his hands into his pockets. There hadn't been any Quidditch for a while. After Hermione lost the baby, putting the idea of miscarriage into everyone's minds, those who knew realized how dangerous Quidditch could be while pregnant pressured Harry into quitting. The injuries from the battle made a good excuse as to why he could no longer play, though he stubbornly held onto his captaincy. He needed to be part of it somehow. No one objected, as they all assumed he would be back in the game before the end of the year. Besides, it was his last year! Might as well let him.

It was moments like these he wished he wasn't pregnant. To be fair, there were an awful lot of moments like these. Not that he wanted an abortion. It was still in his consideration, though he felt awful about it. Doing something like that after his best friend had suffered like she had made it seem all the worse than it already did. But, as much as his moral code spoke against the procedure, it was hard to fully accept that he would be having babies. It wasn't natural! He had to miss out on Quidditch now, had to take all of these potions, had to take care of himself more, and all sorts of things! There was also the fact that everyone who knew continuously gave him strange looks, openly staring at his abdomen, whispering behind his back. Harry may have been used to the bad attention, but that didn't necessarily mean he could easily ignore having more of it.

Now his body was acting strange. The morning sickness was mostly gone by this point, but he had weird cravings. He also had to pee a lot more, was very tired, and now could even feel the babies starting to move around. Even his stomach was becoming a bit rounder. Not in any extreme way, though. Madam Pomfrey said it was natural, since he was having triplets, and that he would gain a lot more later on. Seamus had made a comment the other day about how all of that time off of the broom and in the kitchens was affecting him. How much weight would he have to gain before someone started to suspect something was wrong?

Along with all of that, his chest was beginning to feel a bit sore. That was a subject he didn't even want to think about. Morag MacDougal, just the other day, had gone into an explanation about how a woman's breasts filled out during pregnancy. He was a bloke! He couldn't have boobs! The very thought of his chest being filled with milk was highly disturbing. If he could have any wish right now it would be that the area was sore for another reason. _Any _other reason. Never again was he discussing his pregnancy with anyone. Regardless of the fact that these were things he could expect to happen to him, he just didn't want to know. It was very disturbing. He could hardly imagine how girls went through this, let alone how a man was supposed to.

Men just weren't supposed to have babies. It was as simple as that. Harry sighed heavily, turning around when he reached the end of the lake to start back. Could anyone really expect him to? Frowning at the thought, Harry moved to take his hands from his pockets to rub them over his stomach, but stopped hallway to shove them back in. That was another thing. Why did he want to touch his stomach so much? He barely noticed he was doing it most of the time. It was one of many things he had to be very careful with.

The temptation arose again a few minutes later when he felt that strange fluttering in his belly. It was an awful guilt that spread through him about even considering getting rid of his babies. They were his children. His flesh and blood, even if they were Snape's too. But they didn't belong here. They shouldn't even exist. That was another awful thought. Harry cringed. How could he be so callous? Snape's cruelty had to be rubbing off on him. How could anyone think that about children?

Someone who wasn't even supposed to be able to have children.

But that wasn't a good enough excuse.

He loved them, didn't he? Sometimes he thought so. Other times they were nothing more than intruders in his body. Even after three months, he hadn't fully wrapped his head around the whole ordeal. No amount of proof would make being pregnant feel _normal_. He couldn't accept that he was really going to be a father. Or mother, as Blaise liked to tease. Rolling his eyes at the thought, he shook his head. Then he lowered his head in shame, face heating up as the thoughts continued to circulate his mind. The babies, _his_ babies, just didn't seem real, didn't seem _human_. It felt more like being implanted with tiny, baby monsters that were growing, where they would wait until they could wreak havoc on his body, destroying him from the inside out. They didn't seem like innocent babies at all. Rather like a disease, or something monstrous, sinister, unnatural…

What sort of monster felt that way about his own children?

"Fuck," Harry mumbled, raking his fingers through his hair roughly. The longer he went on with this, the worse he felt. He must have been pacing in front of the lake for hours, all of this weighing heavily on his mind. Everything with Snape, the babies, and even worrying about Hermione to start with.

Hermione. That was it. She needed someone, and he needed the distraction. Maybe he should take her up on that offer of studying. If he could even focus on it. If not, he was sure he could convince Hermione to help him with something that would prove fruitful in the area. Spinning on his heels, he made his way back towards the castle, intending to search every unused classroom until he found the one Hermione was hiding in. He desperately needed to escape these thoughts before they drove him insane.

* * *

><p>Half of her homework was done while the other half had been abandoned in favor of reading <em>Magical Bonds<em>. She had already gone through it countless times, but still became so absorbed in it. She had never really read it all the way through before, only flipping to various ones whose names looked promising in the index. Yesterday, though, she started reading at the first bond in the book. Now she had reached the _Present_ section of the book, looking at a curious one called Insignis Mors, translated to Marked by Death. It was called that due to a substance used in the Marking of the "Servants." The ink used in the Marking was actually a very infamous poison commonly used in the Middle Ages that resulted in the most gruesome death possible by means of poison. It was a thick, black potion often referred to as Death's Blood. It took the drinker at least two weeks before they would succumb to death, in which time they suffered the worst pains known to man. That was as much of the poison as the book gave, though Hermione quickly jotted down the name, determined to research it more later. It was only the timing in which the servants were Marked, how it was used in the ritual of the bonding, that kept it from actually killing them. There was much more to the bond, of course, and the more she read the more she became convinced that this was the bond that Voldemort shared with his Death Eaters.

It spoke of the bond holder, or the Death Master, and his control over his servants, most of this acting through their Mark. The Mark often took on a shape that represented the Master with no input from him or her. It confused Hermione for a while as to how they were able to Mark the servants without going through the usual tattooing process, but eventually found that the Master only held the needle, the words in the ritual guiding his hand through the Marking. She shuddered as she imagined Voldemort putting his Dark Mark onto his Death Eaters. The more she read about the ritual itself, the more horrified she became. It required the servants to provide a sacrifice to the Master, blood sharing, traditionally through a vampire's methods, and self-harm from the servants. It was also stated that sex was used, between the Master and each of his servants, then a massive orgy for the entertainment of the Master and to bind the servants to one another as well.

Most of the bond seemed very similar to Voldemort in the way he could call on his servants using the Mark or punish them through it, if the rumors she heard were true. But it also spoke of the sServants' inability to betray their Master, which didn't make much sense. Snape had been spying for them for years. So much of the bond made sense that she began to panic, questioning whether or not Snape really was on their side. But further reading assured her that there were tamer versions of the same bond. She wasn't sure why Voldemort would use a tame version, but eventually theorized that it would be impossible for him to ensure all aspects of the ritual, and that specific missing areas would affect the bond in various ways. Only now Hermione was very curious about just what the bond entailed for the Death Eaters.

Using a spare bit of parchment, she Transfigured it into a small, maroon bookmark and placed it at the start of the Insignis Mors before moving onto the next bond. The Familia Mancipium was used to enslave one family member to another and required incestuous rape in the bonding ritual. It was morbid curiosity that drove her to read more of it, though the more she read the more furious she became. A lot of the other Dark bonds she encountered, including the previous one, left her in this state. She hated them! How could anyone do that to another human being? Let alone someone in their family! She did have to wonder why it was in the _Present_ section, since most illegal bonds were placed in that area. Surely all slavery bonds would be in the _Past_ area. Though she figured Insignis Mors, and a few others she had read, seemed like they should also be illegal. That was another thing she was going to have to look into later.

Halfway through reading the ritual requirements, she became aware of the chair in front of her being pulled out and someone taking a seat. Quickly scanning over the rest of the page, she looked up as she flipped to the next, half expecting to see Harry, surprised to find that it was Ron. "Yes?" she asked waspishly, eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. If he had come to try to get her to talk or cheer her up, he had another thing coming. Really, she had hoped that, after this long, her friends would get the point that she did not want to talk, or even think about, what had happened. Only Harry seemed to be willing to respect her wishes. Ginny and Grace were the worst of it. She knew they had good intentions, but it was very aggravating to deal with them when they decided she wasn't handling the situation in a healthy manner. She was dealing with everything just fine, in her opinion!

"Err…What are you reading?" he asked.

"_Magical Bonds: Past, Present, and Future_," she replied. "How did you find me?"

"Oh, uh, I asked around. That Morgan girl…"

"Morag?"

"Yeah, her. She said she saw you come in here earlier," Ron explained.

"Do you need help with your homework?" she asked, lowering her eyes back down to her book, though his presence was too noticeable by now to just ignore it.

"Uh…No. Not really. Well, probably, but…that's not why I'm here."

"Then you should probably go before your _wife_ starts to become suspicious."

"Geez, 'Mione. This isn't about Hannah."

"Of course it's not," Hermione sighed. There were rumors circulating that the Hufflepuff was pregnant. Grace and Ginny seemed to think she had done so purposely out of jealousy over Ron's obvious feelings for his ex-girlfriend. She had a snide remark on her tongue about needing to care for his pregnant wife, working hard to keep herself from thinking too much about the day of the Battle of Hogsmeade. With Hannah's predicament in mind, though, she pulled a sheet of parchment from under the book, writing a quick note she had meant to make when she first heard the rumor about Hannah Weasley. It seemed to reaffirm her idea that the bond must have something to do with pregnancy, with so many bonded couples ending up that way. It also made her all the more certain that the bond had something to do with Harry's condition. She'd have to do more research, though she couldn't mention it to anyone. Just saying the words pregnancy or babies would create a whole mess she did not want to deal with. "I don't want to hear it, Ronald. Please leave."

"No!" Ron said firmly, reaching out to grab her hand. Hermione made to pull away, but Ron tightened his grip, waiting until she glared up at him. "I love you."

"Stop it, Ronald!" Hermione hissed. "You're married! You left me, remember? Don't…don't sit here and try to play with my emotions this way! It's not fair!"

"But it's true, 'Mione!" Ron said pleadingly, such a sadness in his blue eyes that her anger faltered. "I love you so much. I'm so sorry. I was a total prick to you and ruined everything. Okay? This is all my fault! If I hadn't been such a git then you would have never done all that with Malfoy, never gotten preg…"

"_Don't say it_!" Hermione hissed, shaking her head furiously, ripping her hand from Ron to grasp her face tightly. Nails dug into her temples, down the sides of her cheeks. _Go away, go away, go away_ she pleaded, shoving the memories, thoughts, and accusations to the very back of her mind, to the darkest corners where they belonged.

"Sorry, sorry," Ron muttered. "Only…I'm sorry about everything, 'Mione. That was the worst mistake I've made, you know? Letting you go." His face was redder than his hair by now. Hearing the words melted Hermione's heart. It took a lot for Ron to be able to express himself in such a way. He was never all that romantic, couldn't help his insensitivity, but there were rare moments when she couldn't help but fall in love with him all over again. Were they still together, this would have been one of those moments. There would always be a place in her heart for him, her first love, but those feelings weren't nearly as strong as they had been just last summer. What remained could have led them through another relationship had things between them not fallen apart so brutally. Especially not now that her heart seemed to belong to someone else.

That was something else she didn't need to think about, doing her best to shove all thoughts of Draco Malfoy away from the forefront of her thoughts.

"Thank you for saying that. And I'll always love you, Ron," she confessed quietly, feeling awful for the hope that lit up his blue eyes. "But we can never be together again. Too much has happened."

"But…we could try," Ron said desperately.

"Why don't you give your marriage a try, hm?" Hermione said gently, patting his hand.

"How can I? I don't love her the way I love you!" Ron exclaimed exasperatedly.

"You committed to her, Ron. You owe it to her to give it a real effort," Hermione said patiently.

"She's not you! We were meant to be together, Hermione, soul mate or not!" Ron said. "Don't you see that?"

"No, I don't," Hermione whispered sadly. "I used to, but it's too late now. We can't."

"Yes, we can! You're just scared because of what Malfoy did…You know, going out with Gin," he said, wrinkling his nose. Ron had been none too happy about Draco and Ginny dating, having made this clear at every opportunity, but the ferocity of his younger sister made it hard for him to do much. The last time he tried hexing Draco for hurting Hermione and trying to defile his sister, Ginny had cast the Bat Bogey Hex on him. It lasted almost a week! "Dunno how anyone could do that to you."

"Well, it's Ginny," Hermione said uncomfortably. Draco was not a subject she wanted to discuss, though she figured it was safer to hurry up with it rather than ignore it altogether. "She's very beautiful, talented…Loads of blokes want to date her. Draco certainly isn't the worst choice. Besides, it's not like I care about him that way. I'm happy for them."

"Right. Well, that's good. See? All the more reason," Ron said.

"No, Ron, it's not," Hermione said firmly, starting to become irritated with him again. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Either…" She paused when the door opened, Harry sliding into view. He paused when he saw Ron, frowning.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked.

"No, no. Come in, Harry!" Hermione said, relieved. "Either let me help you with your homework or leave."

"Yeah, well," Ron said, shifting as he glanced uneasily at Harry. "I'm gonna go grab something to eat then I'll get my homework. Meet you guys here later?"

"Sure, Ron," Hermione said, struggling to sound polite. "Don't forget, we're meeting the others in the Room of Requirement after dinner."

"Oh, yeah," he said. "Sure. See you later. Harry."

"Ron," Harry said, sitting down as Ron stood up. It was only then that Hermione noticed that the boys didn't seem as comfortable with each other as usual. Then again, was it surprising? She had been missing a lot lately.

"Is everything okay with you and Ron?" she asked curiously.

Harry shrugged. "I guess so. Been a rough year, hasn't it? We've got NEWTs this year, stuff with the Order, Horcruxes, bonds…He has Hannah, I have…Snape," he wrinkled his nose here, "babies…Just been hard to really do stuff together, I guess."

Nodding, she nearly closed her book before remembering she needed to save her place. It was natural that they might not be as close to each other. There was a lot going on this year. They were making new friends, had new responsibilities…Truthfully, not many people stayed as close to the same people their whole lives. It was a sad thought. Ron and Harry had always been her boys. The Golden Trio, people called them. They were supposed to be friends forever.

"What about you?" Harry asked. "You and Ron okay?"

"Oh, we're fine," she lied. "I stopped homework a while ago. I've been reading the bond book, though I should probably focus more on the Soul Bond."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe you can find useful information learning about the other bonds."

Hermione paused. "You know, I never did think of that. How strange. If you'd like to help, there are the other books. If you need help with homework, though, I can get that back out."

"No, that's fine. We can do this," Harry said, grabbing a nearby book and pulling it towards him. She pursed her lips, watching him as he flipped it open to a random page. There was something off about him today, though she wasn't sure what. He seemed a bit distracted.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Never better," he said, staring at the page. She had a feeling he wasn't really reading, but reluctantly let it go in order to read more about the slavery bond. The next ten minutes passed by in silence. The Familia Mancipium was very interesting, gruesome, awful, and not at all helpful. That seemed to be the end of the sub-section of Dark Bonds, moving on to Marriage Bonds. Placing her finger on the page introducing the Marriage of Hearts, otherwise known as the traditional Wizarding wedding ceremony, she quickly glanced up at Harry. His hands were gripping either side of the book, staring at it with wide eyes.

"Harry?" she asked quietly.

"I'm fine," he croaked, quickly glancing up at her. Emerald eyes seemed almost wild, anxious, as though lit up by some realization and hope that kept her from being too concerned.

"Find something?"

"Yeah. But I don't…I'll tell you later," he said, quickly dropping his head back down to read some more.

Hermione pursed her lips, leaning over to try to catch a glimpse of the page, but Harry's body was so hunched over it she couldn't make out anything. Huffing, she straightened herself up then went back to her own reading. Maybe marriage bonds would give her more insight to the Soul Bond. After all, marriage and the mating of souls were certainly more related to any of the slavery bonds she had just looked through.

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><p>Studying may not have been a favorite pastime of any student, but some of them did so anyway. Draco and Ginny weren't too pleased with their current predicament. Both were more interested in Quidditch practice, but neither teams had mandatory meetings and they were well aware how important their current project was.<p>

"I don't understand," Draco growled in frustration, kicking the chair of the unused classroom they were sitting in. The box on the table he had been trying to transfigure into a hat was, instead, a smoking bit of rolled up parchment that Ginny was trying to blow out.

"This has been happening a lot, Draco," Ginny reminded him.

"Yes," he sighed.

"It's not _awful_," she said. "Harry had it worse. These are mistakes _most_ students make. But you're not most students! You're a very gifted wizard, Draco. There's a problem."

"Which would be?" he demanded irritably.

"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed. "The bond! You're both suffering a rough patch ever since losing the baby!" Draco flinched. She felt bad for bringing it up, but they both had to come to terms with what happened sooner or later. "You haven't spoken. Not _one_ word to each other since that day. You two were always working so hard on being friends just to make the bond work, but now it's all just gone because of this. I'm not saying it's wrong to mourn your loss, but you can't turn on each other because of it. If anything, you should be more determined to see this through and _make_ it work! Do you want your son to have died for no reason?"

"Is that what you think?" Draco yelled at his girlfriend.

"Of course not! I'm trying to make you see sense!"

"That was my son, Ginny. Yeah, maybe he was never really…you know…here. But he was! I never got to hold him. Never got to know him at all. He never even got a name!"

"Oh, Draco," Ginny sighed sadly.

Draco shook his head, pacing the room. It had been about three months since the incident. Life went on. Some days he was happy. He was lucky. Ginny was there, they had a great time, and things just felt normal. But then there were those days when he remembered. When all he could do was think about Hermione and their dead son. Days like these were rotten. Guilt consumed him for moving past things so easily, for just letting Hermione fall into her world of despair and denial, for not mourning their loss more than he did.

It was hard feeling the loss when he had never known his son. He had never held him, never seen him, barely was able to talk to Hermione about things. In all reality, he hadn't wanted to face the reality of parenthood. That made him feel even worse. Then, the more he thought about the things they were all missing out on, forcing himself to realize that he had a child and that child had been taken from him, brought all of that pain back that he had experienced on the first day. Only this was a worse pain. This was the ache of loss in his heart, the nausea in his stomach produced by guilt, the tears stinging his eyes, the way he could barely breathe when he conjured up those images of what things could have been like if he was still alive.

He grabbed the back of the chair he had kicked, gripping it hard as he bowed his head, trying to control his breathing. Suddenly, he felt slender arms wrap around his waist, Ginny's face pressing into his back, soft hair tickling his arm, her fresh flower scent filling his nostrils. No matter how crazy he could get with things, she always stuck by him. She always told him when he was being a jerk or an idiot, but she was also his comfort, stability he was unfamiliar with. Sighing softly, he turned around to pull her into his arms, holding her close, burying his face into the familiar scent of her hair. He no longer feared the tears that rolled down his face. At least not in her presence. His body shook slightly, causing her to tighten her grip on him, pressing her lips to his shoulder.

"It's alright, Draco," she whispered. "I'm here."

"I can't face her after what happened," Draco whispered. "How can I…? She hates me."

"She does not hate you. Hermione just…She doesn't know how to deal with this any better than you do," Ginny said, rubbing his back.

"No, she hates me," Draco said. "I see her glare at me in class. She doesn't want to be near me. I don't blame her. I was supposed to take care of them, Ginny! She's my soul mate and he was my son. I didn't do enough…I should have…"

"You couldn't have done more than you did," Ginny said for what felt like the thousandth time. They had had this conversation before. "There were too many of them."

"They're my family," Draco whispered. "It was my responsibility to…"

"Don't," Ginny said firmly. "You did all you could. Hermione did all she could. The only people to fault are the Death Eaters who attacked her. Okay?"

"I should have been there more all along."

"Yes, you should have."

Draco sighed heavily, kissing the top of her head. "She looks at me like she can't stand me sometimes. Other times she's so sad…sometimes scared. How can I make that better?"

"How do you figure she does all that? I wasn't sure she looked at anything other than a book these days," Ginny laughed. She sobered up when Draco didn't, kissing his shoulder again. "You could try. There's no one thing that's going to fix what happened. But you should be there for her. Not just for the bond, that _is_ important, by the way, but because she's our friend. She's the mother of your child. Even if he's gone, she's still that. She needs _someone_. We've tried. She won't listen to anyone else. Maybe that's…maybe you're supposed to be the one to talk to her."

Before she even finished speaking he was shaking his head. "I'm not."

"Sure you are. You can be," Ginny said calmly. "If not to get yourself some help, then for Hermione's sake. You know how she's been! It's not healthy. She hasn't cried since those first few days! All she does is bury it in all of her work. One day that's not going to be enough and she's going to fall apart. And, by then, it could be too late. By then, things can be so messed up that we don't know how to fix it! She might try to pretend she's fine, but she's suffering and making it worse on herself. You're the only other one who could understand. Don't you think you owe it to her? To yourself? To…" She had meant to say he also owed it to his son, but found the words stuck in her throat. After a moment, she only coughed then sighed, giving up.

"I hate talking about it," Draco said miserably.

Ginny laughed sadly. "I know."

"She hates me enough now. She won't want to talk about it."

"You don't know that. And she _doesn't_ hate you. Just try to make her listen."

"I don't know, Gin."

"Don't be such a coward about this, Draco! It's _fine_! I promise."

Draco's lips pressed into an unhappy line at the mention of him being a coward. Her patience was growing thin, but the sadness weighing heavy on him made her feel guilty. Her irritation was starting to waver at the agony etched so deeply into his expression. They both needed help, she knew, and she was trying to make them help each other. Only neither of them was very open to receiving such a thing. If they had their way, they'd never discuss it! At least with Draco, Ginny had broken through to him a few times. Hermione's behavior, though, was bordering scary. She had always been a bookworm, but she had never been quite _this_ dedicated to her studies. Ginny could see the mental breakdown coming in the near future.

"She really needs this. I'm _really_ worried about her, Draco!" Ginny sighed. "Please?"

Gray eyes glanced away, not looking too pleased, though he did seem as though he was relenting.

"Worried about _both_ of you," she added quickly. "It's not just about the two of you dealing with this together, right? The whole reason this was brought up was because the bond is starting to fail. I don't think you'll ever get to the place Harry and Snape were at, but it's still bad. You saw Neville and Cedric that day, didn't you? They were _amazing_ together! Their bond is probably one of the strongest in existence right now. _That_ is what we need to win this war. Hell, to _survive_! If things don't get better, the next time we're attacked, you could _die_. Your magic isn't as strong as it should be and you know it. It's for your own good. Both of yours. In more than just one way! So see…This…Doing this would do a _lot_ of good. Even if it is scary."

"Bloody terrifying," Draco muttered, sighing as he pulled out of the embrace. She watched him as he looked all around the room before letting his gaze settle back on her. His shoulders slumped as he muttered, "Fine. I'll try to corner her sometime this week."

"Good!" Ginny said, smiling.

"But…"

"But?"

"What if pushing her too much makes her hate me more?" Draco asked. "Wouldn't that do the opposite of helping the bond?"

Ginny pursed her lips. The way he asked made her question whether or not he was looking for an easy out to the difficult conversation that was in his future. He did raise a good point, though. "At least try. But, I guess, don't push too hard. Let her know you're there for her. Harry's already given up on trying to make her talk, and she does seem to be the most comfortable with him."

A pang of envy hit deep in Draco's chest. Even if there was nothing romantic between Potter and Hermione, he was still closer to her than he ever would be, closer to her than he was now.

"As long as you don't completely give up on trying to help her, just do what you can. Grace and I will just keep pestering her, I guess," the redhead teased.

"Are you sure that forcing her to talk really will help?" Draco asked.

"Positive," Ginny said. "She's not dealing with it at all. Trust me. She needs to get it out. I don't know why she's trying so hard to push it away. I know it hurts, but…I dunno. I just thought she would deal with it…_differently_."

A thin blond eyebrow quirked up. "You thought she would deal with it _better_ you mean."

The young witch blushed, having the decency to look ashamed as her brown eyes darted away. "Well, yes, actually."

He snorted and shook his head. "We'll figure it out. She'll have to deal with it eventually. Can't hide from it forever, you know. The only thing we _should_ worry about is being there for her whenever she needs us."

"I'm not giving up on her, Draco," she scolded, eyes narrowing. "She's my best friend! I'm not just going to sit back and watch her do this to herself!"

Draco stepped back, raising his hands. "Not even suggesting that, Ginevra. I only mean don't push so _hard_. Maybe she needs to feel more acceptance than judgment."

"I'm not judging her!"

"I'm not saying you are! I don't even know what you say to her. But I do know you, Ginevra. And then with everything you're trying to make me do…Just go a bit easy on her, alright? We'll…we'll help her get better. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," Ginny swore, raising her finger to him. He was a bit startled to see the wetness in her eyes, the blazing determination and hurt he hadn't seen before.

"Gin?" he said, holding out his arms to her.

She shook her head, stepping back. "I hate that this happened to her, and that I'm so helpless in fixing things. But…" she cleared her throat then returning to the desk she originated at. "We came here to get you homework help. Let's see if we can get you any better at this and worry about all of this later."

"Do you want to…need to…I mean, I'm here if you…" Draco said, fumbling over his thoughts and words. "Talk?"

"Oh," she laughed. "I'm fine. Gosh. Just worried, like I said. But there's not much we'll be able to do about it right now."

"And you say she's 'hiding from her feelings'," he said, doing an awful imitation of her voice. As she raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a death glare, all he could do was laugh, walking over to where she was to hug her. That heavy, suffocating sorrow hadn't quite abandoned him altogether, but he could feel it starting to slip away again. For now, he distracted himself with the girl who had been his only consolation since the incident.

"_You_ need to get back to work," she scolded, shrugging away from him playfully, shoving him lightly. Her tone wasn't the smooth teasing it usually was, but Draco wasn't feeling too lighthearted himself at the moment.

"Not even a snog before I give it another shot?" he suggested. The upturn of his lips required more effort than usual.

"No," she giggled. "Not until you show some improvement."

"_What_? Improvement? You just said…! It's not going to get better until…! _Ginevra_! You mean just while we're in here, right?"

Ginny could only grin while her boyfriend sputtered, then gloomily stepping aside to draw his wand.

* * *

><p>For all of Neville's friends, life had been very unkind. Everyone was so unhappy, torn apart by misery and drama enough to last a lifetime. While they suffered, he found it very hard to feel any of their sorrow. Things had never been better for him! Mediwizardry was a tough job, the training taking up a great part of Cedric's day, but Neville still saw his soul mate a lot. They always planned at least one small date a week while making time for one another, even if it was only a few minutes, every day.<p>

Being a Sunday, they had more of an opportunity to be together. There weren't many injuries or illnesses to look after on weekends, so the wizards were making the most of their time. With so many people in Hogwarts knowing about the Room of Requirement, they had taken a page out of Hermione's book and holed themselves up in one of many unused classrooms. They normally spent a good deal of time carefully plotting which room to use. What location was the best with the least likelihood of someone stumbling upon them. Most people didn't care for the unused classrooms, normally keeping to the Room of Requirement, the Astronomy Tower, broom closets, lavatories, or even dark corners in the hallways.

Cedric had packed a small picnic for them that they enjoyed on the floor behind the old teacher's desk. With most of the food gone, Neville was now settled between Cedric's legs, leaning back against his chest while his soul mate was propped up against the desk. Firm arms encircled him, his own covering them. Never could he remember being so content. Sitting here in the warmth of Cedric's arms, surrounded by the musky scent of his cologne and the minty flavor of his breath, was so completely perfect that he swore his heart might burst. This had to be a dream. Even in his wildest dreams he had never imagined being so at ease with anyone, so happy, so in love…

Neville couldn't help but grin. His smile grew as Cedric leaned forward to nuzzle into his neck, pressing his lips gently against his warm skin, causing him to shiver. "What are you thinking about?"

"How lucky we are," Neville replied quietly. He didn't dare speak too loudly; too afraid of bursting this fragile bubble of peace they were floating in.

He felt Cedric's lips turn up against his skin. "Mmm…We are, aren't we?"

"Yes."

The brunette leaned back, moving one of his arms out from under Neville's, fingertips sliding up his chest, stroking along his jaw before cupping his cheek and turning his face towards him. Noses bumped, causing them both to chuckle quietly as hazel and gray eyes met. He twisted his body slightly to face his soul mate more comfortably. His breath caught in his throat, heart skipping at their nearness. The grin he wore was so bright he felt almost silly, though he couldn't make it go away. Cedric just smiled back but, even when he leaned in to kiss him, Neville found it hard to make his lips cooperate. It took some coaxing, but Cedric never gave up until Neville was able to reciprocate, kissing him gently.

"You know," Cedric murmured, pulling away only slightly. "I really l…Really never felt this way about anyone before."

"Neither have I," Neville promised. Cedric had been the only one for him. He had been the first person Neville ever had a crush on, and after him there hadn't been many others. No one really captured his interest the way Cedric had. Not to say he hadn't felt some attraction to other men, only that he never really felt anything for anyone the way he had always felt for Cedric.

"I'm glad," Cedric said with a smile, kissing the tip of his nose. "So, I was thinking that maybe we could…hide less?"

His ears perked at this. The heart that had been going through so much excitement this afternoon now jumped hopefully at the implication of the man's words. "You mean…come out together?"

"Exactly," Cedric said uncertainly. "If you're worried, we don't have to. But I'm not worried. Not anymore. I've never been happier and I don't want to hide that."

"We shouldn't," Neville agreed. Truthfully, the idea of quite blatantly admitting to the whole school that he was gay and in love with Cedric Diggory was a bit scary. Everyone had their ideas of how things should be. Homophobia wasn't the biggest issue for bigots, but it still existed. Now, more than ever, he felt more ready to come clean with things. It would be a relief to finally have it out in the open, though he was well aware of the flack they would both get from a majority of people. But Neville had his friends who he knew would have his back. More importantly, he had Cedric, who would make it all well worth it.

"Maybe we can start with the meeting tonight," Cedric suggested.

"Even though most of them already know," Neville pointed out.

"Most of them," he agreed. "But not all of them."

Some of their friends, particularly Hannah and Astoria, could be a bit slow with things. They would be easiest to start with. At least letting their friends know that they were ready to take their relationship to that level would give them some warning of the things they could expect in the near future.

"How long have you been thinking of that?" he asked curiously.

"I've always thought about it," Cedric admitted. "Just wasn't ready for it. Until now."

"And you're sure?"

"Positive."

"Is there a plan?"

"Well I don't think any big announcement is in order. We don't want it to be a bigger deal than it already will be," Cedric said. "We'll just be like any other couple. Everyone will figure it out when they see us together. Holding hands, kissing, pet names, and all of the other activities that make being in a relationship so obvious."

"That sounds good," Neville replied. It was still a bit nerve-wracking, no matter how they did it. But he thought it would send a nice message if they didn't make it seem as if it mattered all that much. People would still have something negative to say about it. He had no illusions that people were going to be very accepting right off the bat. Though he didn't want to shove it down their throats. It wasn't his style. Cedric's idea, though, was perfect for him. For them.

"Is there anything you want to do before the meeting?" Cedric asked.

"I'm fine with what we've been doing," Neville assured him, settling back into their original position. "I'm not bored or anything. Are you?"

"Merlin, no!" Cedric laughed. "Though I might prefer doing this outside, under a tree by the lake or even just facing the castle. Anything with a better view than the blackboard."

"What's wrong with the blackboard? I thought you liked my drawings," Neville teased, glancing up at the doodles he had been working on earlier. To be fair, he didn't think anyone would guess the drawing at the top left corner was a dragon even if he told them what it was. The depiction of the Leaping Lotus, a flower with what looked like a frog's body that hopped away from danger, was only slightly better.

"Oh…err…it's a masterpiece."

"Liar," Neville laughed, wiggling against the older wizard until the arms returned, tightening comfortably around him.

"It's called being polite."

"Call it what you want, it's still a lie."

They laughed quietly together before falling back into the easy silence they were so accustomed to. The world outside of them was quickly forgotten. It would be a miracle if they could pull away in time to head to the Room of Requirement for their meeting. As wonderful as these dates were, it was always so hard to leave them. Returning to the real world after them was difficult to handle. How could you go back to normal after experiencing such perfection? Knowing it existed but always feeling as though it had only been a dream.

* * *

><p>The group that met in the Room of Requirement had grown in the past few months. While Hermione had her ways of keeping their secrets from leaving the room, that didn't mean people couldn't talk about the bond. That was how Grace had aided Luna and Morag in finding one another. For this reason, Hannah was able to bring her close friends Susan Bones and Megan Jones into the fold. Susan proudly proclaimed that the handsome Roger Davies was her soul mate, while Megan often went pale at the question and refused to answer. Grace also brought in her friend Demelza Robins and her soul mate, Seamus Finnigan.<p>

They didn't all meet all of the time. Some days they had other obligations to tend to. No one faulted them. But most of them tried to attend these meetings as much as possible. It seemed more and more like their own private club. "Like the D.A.! Only more fun and less work," Susan once said. Today happened to be one of those days when everyone was able to show up. Even Hermione, who was absent more than anyone, arrived with Harry and Ron, sitting between them on a fluffy purple couch. Hannah glared on disdainfully, frantically turning to Susan and Megan for advice.

The last to arrive were Cedric and Neville, both red faced and clutching hands. A few people had to look twice at them and their obvious show of affection, but didn't seem to think much about it. Only Hannah and Susan gaped in open shock while Megan laughed at them. Across the room Astoria also looked stunned, though she quickly glanced away from them, her face turning pink as she began to whisper to her sister.

"They're _gay_?" Hannah demanded.

"They're together?" Susan added.

"You didn't now?" Megan giggled.

"Blaise was right! Bugger. Why are all the good ones gay?" Astoria sighed mournfully, glancing at Harry before turning back.

"Which one were you after?" Daphne asked, eyebrow quirked.

"Doesn't matter now, does it?" Astoria muttered.

"My guess is Longbottom," Blaise said, sitting on the arm of their loveseat. "He's the one I was pestering about being gay before."

Astoria didn't say anything, but the way her cheeks flamed further confirmed it.

"It's about time, you two!" Seamus called from across the room, throwing a paper airplane in their direction. Demelza sat in the chair next to his, folding a piece of parchment charmed to be red into an origami lion.

"What do you mean?" Neville asked, the shakiness disturbing his attempt at an innocent voice.

"About time? They've _been_ together," Harry laughed.

"Well, I know!" Seamus said. "But it's about time they stopped hiding it."

"They were trying to hide it?" Ron asked. "Bloody awful job at that, mates."

"Shut up," Neville muttered. Cedric pulled them to a stop at the two empty chairs, pulling out his wand to combine them into a comfortable blue loveseat that they could sit on together. Neville blushed as his soul mate daringly draped his arm across his shoulders, pulling him closer.

"Awww!" Grace squealed. "They are so adorable!"

"Thank you, Grace," Cedric grinned.

"You two will have cute babies one day," Grace declared excitedly.

Neville choked on air. "_What_?"

"Well, Harry's up the duff. And I'm sure both of you has better sperm than Snape!"

Harry glared at his younger sister. Blaise, Daphne, Draco, Ron, and Seamus all tried to stifle their laughter. Demelza could only roll her eyes at the antics of her friend while Hermione didn't seem to be paying any attention at all. Morag shook her head, Luna smiling serenely at her side. Cedric had taken on a thoughtful look, glancing from Neville to Grace to Harry. The others looked rather scandalized as they stared at Grace for spouting off such things.

"But! We don't even know how Harry got pregnant!" Susan squeaked.

"They've been having sex?" Astoria demanded.

"Even though we still don't know what caused Harry to become pregnant, doesn't mean it's impossible for another male to become that way," Morag stated, straightening her glasses. "I highly doubt it's some fluke to where only he can become pregnant. Personally, I'm certain it must be something in the combination of potions that were in his system. Once Professor Snape discovers what they are, he could easily market a line of male pregnancy potions. By now, I hardly think the idea of Neville and Cedric being able to reproduce is so strange."

"S…sex?" Neville stammered, gaping at Astoria.

"He means 'no'," Cedric said with a forced smile, patting Neville reassuringly on the knee.

"You know, I think Gracie has a point. They would have the most adorable babies ever," Daphne giggled.

"It's a bit soon, I think," Cedric coughed.

"Don't you have a bun in the oven, Hannah Banana?" Grace asked.

"Can't you mind your own business?" Hannah muttered, face burning.

"Wait, what?" Ron demanded. "Hannah?"

"Harry? How are the triplets?" Hannah asked desperately.

"_Hannah_!"

"I think your husband wants you," Harry muttered, slumping down in his seat, glancing down at the book Hermione had opened in her lap. She was still reading the bond book.

"You hadn't heard yet?" Daphne asked, confused.

"Daphne!" Hannah wailed. "Shut up!"

"_Hannah, would you answer me_?" Ron said. His voice was just as high pitched as it could get when confronted by spiders, his eyes just as wide, face just as pale.

"It's a girl! Surprise! So Harry. The babies?" Hannah asked.

"Girl? Baby? Why didn't you…I just…Oh Merlin," Ron muttered, sliding down in his seat.

"Geez, mate. I don't envy you," Seamus muttered.

"Seamus!" Demelza exclaimed, slapping his leg. "Be nice."

"I am nice! I was only saying," Seamus said.

"Girls are nice. Do you have any names picked out?" Grace asked.

"It was two girls and a boy, right, Harry?" Hannah asked.

"Two boys and a girl," Ginny offered.

"Yeah," Harry said, clearing his throat as he sat up. Since the topic of the babies had come up, he might as well get it over with. He had his mind set on this announcement before leaving his studying with Hermione, but the entire walk here he had questioned that. Especially now that he could feel his nerves strike, making his hands sweat and his mind race as he stood up. Almost everyone quieted down to look at him except for Hannah, Susan, and Megan who were all sharing a whispered conversation while Morag was quietly talking with Luna about the prospects of a future Longbottom-Diggory child. "So…I just thought I would let you all know that I've…I've made up my mind."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Bloody dawn, Tokugawa Blitzer, Clockpark, Silence of Sorrow, mayajane, dogsby, Sev's-sexy-mistress, lalaland, Sydney-Jo, Nocturnal Rose, AlmondWithUnicornHair, atymer, ieatmyfeelings, xXxElectraxXx, hentai18ancilla, E. Chickarita! Also to my wonderful beta Dani for always being so great about getting these chapters done and to Tokugawa Blitzer for always being there to talk about plot stuffs and reading over chapters when I need her to! I hope everyone continues to read and review!

Don't forget you can like me on FB for updates about all of my stories!


	34. Chapter 33

**CHAPTER THIRTY THREE**

* * *

><p>"Made up your mind about what, mate?" Seamus asked.<p>

"Something to do with the babies, I imagine," Demelza said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, he should have said so!"

"You're not having an abortion, are you, Harry?" Grace demanded. "Because I don't think that's right at all."

"Well, he's not that far into the pregnancy. It would be much worse if it he was further in," Morag said.

"No! Nothing would make that okay!" Grace exclaimed.

"Why don't you listen to Harry's decision before you start judging him?" suggested Hermione, lifting her head.

"No! If we drill it into his head, maybe he won't do it!"

"Yes, because peer pressure's really the way to go when making important life decisions," Ginny muttered sarcastically.

"You can't mean you'd be okay with him killing the babies!" Grace shrieked.

Ginny closed her eyes, raised her hands then counted to five in her head before opening her eyes to glare at the other redhead. "I didn't say that. I only mean that it's Harry's choice, no matter what any of us would prefer."

"Abortion isn't the worst thing he could do," Morag said.

"It's ghastly!" Hermione snapped.

Whatever argument Morag had been about to make was stopped. Hermione was glaring at the Ravenclaw, who seemed momentarily confused by the silence as well as the other witch's fury. Then it seemed to settle on her, the memory of what she had lost. The Gryffindor shrugged away from Harry then into Ron's arms to his shock and Hannah's horror. Ron patted her back awkwardly while she hid her face in his chest, body trembling as she sniffed, trying hard to bite back her sobs. Everyone looked away awkwardly with the exception of Ginny, who could only frown sadly at her best friend. She gave her boyfriend's hand a hard squeeze until he reluctantly turned to her, glancing to Hermione after a few seconds.

"Well, I _am_ getting rid of them," Harry finally said, plucking a piece of lint from his knee.

"You _what_?" Hermione wailed, jumping to her feet.

"Harry!" Grace exclaimed. "How could you?"

"That's _so_ wrong," Hannah said.

"What did those babies ever do to you?" Susan demanded stiffly.

"That is sort of messed up, mate," Seamus said.

"I'm glad our mums dunno. They'd kill you!" Ron said.

"Do what you have to do," Blaise shrugged.

"Of course you would say that, you pig!" Hermione snapped.

"H-Hermione," Draco began.

"Not you, too!" she screamed.

"I didn't…I just..."

"Don't shout at him, Hermione! Harry's not…he's not doing anything to you, okay? This is his life, his decision," Ginny said, though she looked troubled by the news herself.

"Really, the fetuses will hardly feel a thing," Morag sighed. "It's not as if they understand what's happening or what they're missing. Once their born, it would be another story. The experience of life and ripping it away is cruel injustice. By that point they are more developed, able to start their lives. But until that time, they really…"

"You stay out of this!" Hermione snapped.

"_But_!" Daphne said loudly.

Everyone continued arguing until Daphne shouted "_BUT_!" again at which point everyone turned to look at her, then confusedly to Harry who she was staring at. His face was bright red as he did his best to disappear into the couch he was sitting on. Daphne gave Harry an encouraging nod so that he returned it then stood up.

"Look, 'Mione…I…This isn't…I just…"

"Spit it out before you give her a stroke," Daphne suggested with an encouraging smile.

"I…"

"Oh sheesh. Harry's not having an abortion!" Daphne said.

"But he said!" Hermione argued.

"Hear him out, will you?"

Hermione turned to Harry expectantly while he grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. It just came out wrong…But…Well, I'm _technically_ getting rid of them…"

"Oh. Well adoption's a perfectly viable option," Hermione said, calming down quickly.

"No. That's not it, either," Harry said, then turning to Daphne. "You know?"

She shrugged. "Not entirely. But just by looking at you I could tell it wasn't what you meant."

"Glad _someone_ noticed," Harry mumbled while Hermione only glared at him unapologetically.

"You're the one who made it sound so awful, Harry James Potter!" she snapped.

"I know, I know, my bad," he grumbled.

"So what do you mean? If you weren't referring to adoption or abortion?" Hermione asked.

"What I mean is...well…I want to have a Transfer," Harry stated.

"A Transfer?" Megan questioned.

"Magical procedure," Hannah explained quietly.

"He wants to move the babies into someone else's body," Morag said, surprised.

"That's nearly as bad as having an abortion, Harry," Hermione said frowning. "It's incredibly dangerous. To everyone involved."

"I know and didn't exactly come to the decision lightly," Harry said bitterly. "The book I was reading earlier was talking about the process. I remembered we had talked about it before when we were trying to figure out how all this happened. It was all I could think about the whole time. It…it makes sense!"

"No, it doesn't," Hermione sighed heavily. "You're just worried about people finding out and about giving birth."

"Of course I am!" Harry snapped. "But it's more than that."

"What could be worth that sort of risk?" Hermione demanded.

Harry stared at her incredulously. "Do you seriously have no idea?"

"No, I don't!" she said heatedly. "I can't imagine anything being worth the risk to my child's _life_!"

Tears filled her eyes once again as she sucked in deep breaths to keep her sobs at bay. Draco leapt to his feet, not thinking as he pulled her into his arms only to be shoved away angrily. He faltered, glancing uncertainly at Ginny who gave an encouraging nod. The redhead stood as well as Draco made to hug Hermione again to have her shrug away from him. "Stop," she commanded shakily.

"Get away from her," Ron said quietly, standing with them. Draco reached out to her again, but the moment Ron did the same Hermione moved into his arms, letting herself be guided back onto the couch.

Draco was hurt, but Ginny placed a comforting hand in his, offering a sympathetic smile as she led him back to where they had been sitting.

Harry stood uncomfortably, watching the displays. Only with the silent encouragement from Daphne and Cedric was he able to go on. Clearing his throat, he stumbled over to the middle of the room so that he could address everyone easier.

"I'll admit, it first looked really appealing because of the issues I've been having," Harry confessed. "It doesn't feel natural at all. Having a Transfer did seem like an easy way to avoid the later stages of…_this_…then giving birth and all of that other stuff. But the danger aspect of it did put me off.

"Then I started thinking about it. They're already in danger enough being mine, aren't they? Hermione, you've already lost one in battle." The reminder made most of the room look uneasy, including Hermione who choked on a sob. Harry felt bad bringing it up, but he had to make a point. They had to understand why he needed to do this. Why this was the best option out there. "Madam Pomfrey said they were lucky to have survived everything that hit me during the fight. There's already a higher risk of one or more of them dying or being sick when they're born because of them being multiples. All of the potions that were in my system had already made things worse. The odds are all against them right now.

"The moment the news leaks, they'll come after me harder than ever just to get to them. You saw how it was. Being this way…it hinders us. They went after Hermione more than anyone because they are cruel and they understood that killing the baby would hit us harder."

"Then using charms to _hide_ the pregnancy would be smart. There's a section about that in a book I have," Hermione offered, sniffling.

"But that would only do so much. What happens when they're born? They'd never be safe if anyone knew they were mine," Harry said.

"Then you can pass them off as someone else's when they're born until the war is over!" Hermione snapped.

"But what am I supposed to do until then, Hermione?" Harry retorted. "I can't just stop fighting. I have to do this. The prophecy!"

"Then wait until they're born!"

"I can't just wait! I'm supposed to defeat him! I can't risk hundreds or thousands or millions of lives just to protect them! As bad as that sounds…not when there's another option!" Harry exclaimed. "Even if I don't rush into battle in the next few months or if no one knows I'm pregnant doesn't mean the danger's gone. Danger is attracted to me, isn't it? I'm always in trouble. Everyone says so. They would be better off with someone else! Trust me, the risk of this Transfer on them is a lot less than the risk of staying with me."

"But what about the risk to you or the surrogate?" she pointed out.

"I'm willing to take that risk. The amount of danger on me would be significantly less than the babies or the surrogate," Harry said with a frown. "That's what bothered me the most, actually. Having to ask someone to surrogate."

"I'd be more than willing to do it, Harry!" Ginny said.

"What?" sputtered Draco.

"You're _joking_, aren't you?" Blaise gaped at her in open shock.

"No, I'm not," Ginny replied with a glare. "If Harry needs this, then I want to support him. I think he has a point about all of this. So, I'd be willing to take the chance. As long as I get to be godmother!"

Harry smiled at her gratefully. "Are you sure, Gin?" The fear of putting someone he cared for through that sort of danger bothered him. The book had given all sorts of examples of what happened to people involved in the Transfers, success stories and even the awful failures when done during a pregnancy. Putting anyone at risk bothered him, especially when it came to his close friends.

At the same time, though, this idea really spoke to him. He just knew, deep down, that this was the answer. It didn't make all of the possibilities easier to consider, but there were no tough deliberations. There was no going back on this either.

Draco and Blaise both glowered at him while Ron shot dirty looks at his own sister.

"You're too young to be having babies," Ron muttered. "And so am I, for that matter."

"Oh, Ron," sighed Hannah sadly.

"Actually, I think it would be better if, say, Hermione would be willing to do it," Morag stated loudly over the rising chatter of the others.

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" Hermione spat bitterly. "But guess what? You're wrong. I couldn't protect my own child. What makes you think I could do any better with _three_ of someone else's?"

Most of the room shot Morag dirty looks, but she ignored it. It seemed to take a lot for her to understand when she was being insensitive. Harry cringed. He found it hard to be too mad at her since he understood it was just how she was. But he could see how upset it was making Hermione so he, quickly, shook his head at the Ravenclaw, hoping she would understand the message.

"Well, it wouldn't have to be you necessarily. And miscarriages can happen to anyone. It was hardly your fault," she said simply. Morag hadn't even said that in the calm, comforting voice everyone else had. It was a simple statement of facts she was used to delivering. Hermione blinked in surprise, wiping her tears away as she warily watched the other witch. "I only mean that if anyone in this group had to do it, you might be the best option. Like with most Transfers, or what Muggles call transplants, you would never want to move an organ into a body that could not properly house it. It would be a waste, wouldn't it? Even if you thought you were doing a good thing. Sometimes bodies reject the alien organ. Weaker bodies wouldn't be capable of being saved even with the healthier organ. While not exactly the same thing, it does sort of go well with the topic of transferring unborn children into another host. You would want to move them into a new home that is the best able to care for them, wouldn't you? Especially the further along in the pregnancy you are at the time of the Transfer. Moving the fetuses into a body that has already experienced pregnancy is your best bet. While Hermione never experienced all three trimesters, all forty weeks, or even the birthing process, you aren't much farther along than she was and her body would more readily accept the children than someone who had never been pregnant. It decreases the chance of losing the children as well as lessening the risk on herself. You should especially not let a virgin carry them. Are you a virgin, Ginny?"

By her tone, it was clear she didn't mean anything by it, though Ginny did glare at her as her face heated up. "Yes," she snapped.

"See? Ultimately, the decision is up to you and any volunteers. But, personally, I think your best bet would probably be Hermione," Morag explained with a shrug.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I can't. I really can't. Just can't," Hermione muttered, shaking her head, burying her face back into Ron's neck.

"That's fine, I understand," Harry said, heart sinking slightly. So his one volunteer was probably the worst candidate. His best bet didn't want to do it, though he could hardly blame her. He blew out a breath as he raked his fingers through his unruly hair. Whispered conversations began all around him as they began to discuss what they had learned, what they should do about it, as well as their opinions on the Hermione versus Morag argument. Morag was an insensitive bitch, but shouldn't Hermione be over it already? Her friend needed her help, didn't she see that? Harry had too much on his own mind to pay them any mind. Maybe Ginny wouldn't be _so_ bad. He knew he had to do this and if Ginny was his only hope, then he would have to trust that things would turn out okay.

"I'll do it," Daphne announced a few minutes later.

"You'll what?" Harry asked.

"I'll surrogate for you."

"You'll _what_?" Blaise demanded.

"You heard me," Daphne scowled.

"Are you sure, Daffy?" Astoria asked, wrinkling her nose.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Yes. Morag said it. Your best bet is someone who's already been pregnant. Well, I've been pregnant."

Everyone quieted down.

"Aww, what happened?" Susan asked sadly.

"When was it?" Hannah asked.

"Are you okay?" Megan inquired.

"I'm fine," Daphne mumbled, unable to meet anyone's eyes for a moment. She fiddled with the hem of her skirt for a while before clearing her throat, sucking up all of the strength she had. "I had an abortion last year."

"You didn't!" Hannah gasped.

"You did _what_?" Susan snapped.

"No way!" Megan exclaimed.

"That's terrible!" Ron said.

"How dare you!" Grace shrieked.

"That poor innocent child!" Hermione muttered gloomily, glowering at the Slytherin.

"Leave her alone," Neville said loudly.

"What Longbottom said," Blaise announced, wrapping an arm around her. "Before I hex the lot of you!"

"It was last year," she explained quietly, curling into herself. "I wasn't ready for a baby and was too ashamed to tell my parents. I couldn't tell anyone! Only Blaise, Draco, and Astoria, really. And the father, Theodore Nott. He was really supportive then, mind you. Before he turned into this great prick. We were never romantically involved, but he was so kind to me…" She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "That's beside the point. I went about hiding it as long as I could. I was near my second trimester when I decided to do it. The idea of going through with it seemed so silly to me. I couldn't let anyone find out. I was so worried about what other people would think of me so I just…got rid of the problem. Sometimes I regret it. Mostly I don't." She shrugged her shoulders. "But I've been around as far along as Harry, I think. And…I would love to help out, really."

"So you killed your unborn child because you were too scared of telling mummy and daddy?" Hermione spat.

"Granger, I swear to Merlin if you don't shut your trap…" Blaise warned.

"Blaise!" Draco hissed.

"Leave her alone!" Ginny growled.

"Then tell her to lay off of Daphne! She has no right to judge anyone at all," Blaise muttered, squeezing his friend.

"It's fine, Blaise," she said quietly. "Harry?"

"That would be fantastic!" he said gratefully. "Are you really sure you want to?"

"Of course," she said with a small smile. "Morag already said it would be better for almost everyone involved and I fit the description so…why not? I…I want to do this. It feels…good. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly," agreed Harry. The idea of a Transfer had seemed so perfect to him. Now the idea of Daphne being the surrogate was just as right in his mind.

"There is still a risk," Morag reminded them. "But this will give you all a better chance."

"Father found a lovely potion that will ward of wrackspurts," Luna offered. "We don't want anyone's minds going fuzzy during something like this."

"Speaking of which, who will perform the Transfer?" Demelza asked.

"Oh. I hadn't really thought of that," Harry said, scratching his head.

"Madam Pomfrey won't agree to it," Hermione said.

"Probably not," Cedric muttered.

"Ced?" Neville asked quietly. He hoped no one would hear him so there wouldn't be pressure on his boyfriend to do anything, but most people seemed to have either listened in or caught on from the way he was looking at the other wizard.

"Hey, that's a good idea! Cedric could do it!" Seamus exclaimed.

"Brilliant!" Ron said.

"Uh…Oh, I dunno," Cedric said with a frown. "I'm not a fully qualified Healer. I could get into trouble for doing it without a license!"

"Oh right," Harry said, frowning. "Hermione, Morag, do you think you would be able to perform the Transfer?"

"It's a difficult process," Hermione said.

"It's not even Hogwarts curriculum to learn _about_ it, let alone how to perform it," Morag replied.

"Hermione, we made Polyjuice Potion our second year," Harry pointed out.

"You _did_?" Morag asked, sounding mildly impressed.

"Yes," Hermione said smugly.

"I…I dunno how good of an idea that would be. They have no medical training at all," Cedric pointed out.

"But if Madam Pomfrey won't do it, and you can't do it, then what other choice do I have? I don't trust going to just any healer about this," Harry said.

"Then maybe you shouldn't do it," Susan said.

"Yeah, Harry, you wouldn't want to take that chance, would you?" Neville said.

"I guess not," Harry said with a frown, heart sinking. He had made up his mind about this, knew it was his only real option, but, now, it was turning out they couldn't even do it? Taking no for an answer was the last thing he was willing to do, but what choice did he have? Transfers were complicated, magical medical procedures. Somehow, he had faith that Hermione _could_ do it, maybe even with Morag's help. They were both brilliant, as well as talented. But they didn't seem so confident about it. No one did. They would never be willing.

"I…If we could keep it a secret…I could at least try," Cedric offered uncertainly. "I'll have to study it more, and even then there's no guarantee. But…Well, if you're serious about this…"

"I need to do this," Harry said pleadingly.

"Then…Well, I guess I'll research it. See if I can…maybe think I can do it," he said, scratching his head.

"I'll help," Neville assured him.

"I'll be there for the procedure, if you decide to do it," Hermione offered. "In case you need help."

"I might offer my services, as well, if you'd like," Morag volunteered.

"That…I could probably use all the help I can get," Cedric said, squeezing Neville's hand.

"Thank you. All of you," Harry said, looking around the room. Not everyone seemed on board with the idea, but he had more support than he imagined. The fact that Cedric was even willing to consider doing it was amazing. He felt a bit bad, as though they had pressured him into doing it, but he couldn't regret it. They had to do this.

* * *

><p>It had taken a lot, but Ginny was sure she finally got Draco and Hermione to talk.<p>

She started with Hermione that morning. It was the day after Harry's announcement. All of the issues that had taken place during the meeting assured Ginny that they needed to hash out all of their problems. So, she spent the night plotting ways to do so, with a great deal of input from Grace Potter, who had sneaked into the sixth year dorms.

So, when Ginny saw Hermione rushing to the library instead of to the Great Hall for breakfast, she followed. When the redhead caught up to her, Hermione glanced at her out of the corner of her eyes, suspicious already.

"Would you mind helping Draco with his homework later?" Ginny asked.

"Do what?" Hermione replied. "Haven't you been helping him?"

"I'm not doing a very good job. Plus, you're loads smarter than me," Ginny said. "Also, he's getting worried about the bond. I thought that maybe if you helped him study, it would help you both strengthen it or something. You can't say you haven't noticed your magic isn't as powerful as it was before."

"I…I hadn't, really," Hermione said, eyebrows scrunched as she recalled the past few months, trying to remember how she had been with her spellcasting. Not bad, she thought. But was she as strong as before?

Ginny raised an eyebrow. Had Hermione really not noticed? "Well, I'm worried about you both. We all know how bad things were for Harry and Snape. I just don't want you both to get to that point."

"I hadn't really thought…_Is_ the bond suffering?" Hermione muttered, still unable to figure it out.

"Yes, it is," Ginny laughed. "But if you help him study, I'm sure you can fix it. You just haven't talked as much lately, is all."

"Right," Hermione said, frowning. "I didn't think that would…Oh but…Well, you're right. I mean…Shite. I guess we'll have to, then."

Ginny had known her friend was upset, but it surprised her that she really was _so_ against spending time with Draco. Maybe she _did_ blame him for what happened. Or she blamed herself and was too ashamed to face Draco. Whatever it was, they would have to fix it. Bringing up the bond was, apparently, enough to get Hermione to reluctantly agree.

The easier part was dealing with Draco. She only needed to remind him about their discussion before last night's meeting. They _had_ to work on the bond. Or else. That wasn't to say it was an easy time convincing him.

"She hates me!" Draco exclaimed. "You saw how she was. She hates me."

"She already agreed to meet with you. To help you with your homework," Ginny pointed out.

"Did she? She probably just wants to yell at me," he muttered.

"No," Ginny laughed. "I let her know that the bond was at stake. She might be stubborn, but she won't let anything mess up the bond. I know it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"She's not going to yell at me? Or hex me?"

"No! Merlin, Draco."

"What? I just…it really looked like she despised me."

"She's just upset still. It doesn't have anything to do with you."

"How do you know?"

"I just know, okay?"

"I'm not sure I believe you."

"Draco!"

"Okay, fine. I'll…I'll meet with her. But if she attacks me…"

"You'll get over it."

"Thanks."

As she walked away from her boyfriend, Ginny was feeling very pleased and accomplished. It wasn't until she was sitting in her first class of the day, Muggle Studies, that she began to worry. How would the meeting go? That whole morning she found herself anxiously waiting for the time she could pester one of them about how it had gone before realizing they probably wouldn't have a chance to talk until that afternoon, or even that night.

During her first break of the day, Ginny raced to the dungeons, hoping to run into Draco or Hermione after their Potions class. Most of them had gone, though she couldn't remember seeing either of them on her way there. They hadn't skipped class, had they? A peek into the classroom showed Blaise and Neville still packing up their belongings while Harry and Snape were at the head desk, sharing a whispered conversation. Probably arranging their meeting for the night. Poor Harry. Snape glanced up at her with a nasty look that Ginny returned. Ruddy git.

"Ginny? What brings you to this part of the castle?" Blaise asked as he headed out of the door past her.

"Was looking for Draco," Ginny replied. "Seen him?"

"Sure. Left ten minutes ago," Blaise explained. "Didn't see much, mind you. I was too busy actually doing my _work_. But Hermione ran out of class. She was either upset or sick. Too many conflicting stories going around. Then Draco ran after her."

"Oh," Ginny said with a frown. "Well, I guess I could…"

"Think we could talk for a minute? You don't have a class, do you?"

"Nah. Not for another few hours," Ginny replied.

"Good," Blaise said with a grin. "Follow me, then."

The Slytherin seemed very excited about whatever it was so, with Draco and Hermione momentarily forgotten, she eagerly followed him. Blaise moved quickly, walking out of the castle to an area of stone benches and tables to just one side of the castle. Only one of the other tables was occupied by Romilda Vane, Demelza Robins, and Grace Potter, who all appeared to be arguing about something or another, but were too far away for them to hear. Ginny eyed them curiously as she slid onto the circular bench on the opposite side of Blaise, slinging her bag onto the table.

"I know we sort of decided against it to start with, and that your parents were very against it, but I was thinking that maybe we _should_ bond," Blaise said quickly. His dark eyes were lit up, lips barely managing to keep a straight line instead of curling up.

Ginny smiled bemusedly for a moment, slowly shaking her head. "What? I'm only sixteen."

"And?" Blaise asked. "Look, _most_, but not all bonds, have laws about what ages you must be to participate in them. There are no laws about the Soul Bond because some people question whether or not it's even possible. Also, because it's rarely even used. So, while your parents might not like it, they don't _really_ have to agree for you to do it. Just think about it! Everyone's doing it for the war effort, so we might as well, too."

"Yes, but you see how well that's going," Ginny muttered. "Harry and Snape are going to lose us this war if they can't learn to work together. Draco and Hermione have been messed up since losing the baby. Even Ron and Hannah's bond has been questionable with all of the fighting they've been doing. Sirius and Remus were also been having issues last I heard!"

"Yeah, but that's them," Blaise said, waving them off. "They aren't taking care of the bond. But what about everyone else? The Potters have been alright, haven't they? Cedric and Neville's bond is phenomenal! Daphne and Weasley seem to be fine. Then Luna and Morgan…"

"Morag," Ginny corrected.

"Yeah, her, have been good," Blaise said. "And Luna's your age, isn't she?"

"Yes," Ginny said slowly.

"See, then? It'll be fine," Blaise assured her.

"We can't know that."

"Well, obviously not. But, hey, we've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of the bonds. We know what's waiting for us and how to handle it."

Ginny bit her lip, taking a moment to think by glancing around the grounds. The trio of girls not far from them had stopped fighting with each other, moving on to Grace and Demelza ganging up on Romilda. Further off, she saw black dots in the sky flying over the Quidditch pitch and a couple snogging under a nearby tree.

She couldn't believe Blaise had brought this up. Honestly, she had nearly forgotten they were soul mates! They had become very good friends but so had Draco and Hermione at one point, before things soured. It wasn't like you could break the Soul Bond. If things got hard, you really had no choice but to find some way of making things right with your mate or suffer the consequences. It was a huge commitment, one with too many bad angles. The Soul Bond had seemed good in theory, but now that it had been in practice, it looked awful. Whoever had invented the thing had clearly been insane.

There were a few good examples of the Soul Bond. Neville and Cedric seemed to be the biggest success story. Neville mentioned how, at the last Order meeting, there had been nothing but praise for them. Well deserved, she had to admit. But even they could, possibly, find themselves in conflict one day. The bond couldn't play with your emotions. Not to any real extent. It couldn't force you to behave. It only gave very good incentive to do that. But the bond itself was no puppet master and Ginny could see how much effort one had to put into it to let it grow.

It was scary. And, really, thinking about it, she was glad she hadn't agreed to it when they found out.

"I dunno, Blaise," Ginny finally said.

The happiness in his eyes had faded by now, making her feel bad. But not bad enough to back down, though. Ginny sat taller, determined to do what she thought was best.

"At least think about it, okay?" he pleaded.

"I have thought about it," she argued.

"_Really_ think about it. At least give it a week or something," Blaise begged.

She sighed heavily, tapping the tips of her fingers on the tabletop. Everything in her was screaming 'NO!' but it didn't seem fair to not give his suggestion a shot. Why not think of it some more? At least with time she could organize a better argument for her stance. "Alright, I'll think about it."

"Great," he said, forcing a smile. "Was it urgent, whatever you needed Draco for? Or can he wait a bit? I've wanted to try out this new card game my mum sent me."

"Hmm. He can wait, I suppose," Ginny said, glancing around again, half hoping to find him. No such luck. Finding him now seemed pointless, as she doubted he and Hermione had their talk yet. If Blaise was right and they had been together after Potions, then they could, hopefully, be having it now. "Show me this game."

* * *

><p>Draco wasn't sure what had happened to Hermione in Potions but she looked either ill or upset, possibly both. The moment she darted out of class, both hands covering her face, Draco had run after her. She ran right into the nearest lavatory, which Draco was hesitant to enter. After a few minutes of internal debates, he decided to go in, only to be scolded by Ravenclaw Sue Li and Gryffindor Fay Dunbar. Being Head Boy, he was tempted to say something back to them, but figuring it that it was the girl's lavatory as well as that evil look in Fay's eyes, he simply backed out, pink-faced, and leaned back against the wall, waiting. Not long after that, the Patil twins entered with Lavender Brown, chatting amiably, followed shortly by Tracey Davis and Millicent Bulstrode, who sneered at him. A few minutes after that, Mandy Brocklehurst and Lisa Turpin went in, shooting him funny looks, with a very ill Hannah Weasley on their heels followed by the ever concerned Susan Bones and Megan Jones right behind her. Draco was very curious as to how they all fit in there, as the lavatory hadn't looked all that big the few minutes he had been inside of it. He heard loud voices, and was slightly disturbed that girls would talk to each other while doing their business. He certainly didn't want to have meaningful conversations while taking a leak.<p>

Ten minutes later, the door burst open as Lisa flew out, Mandy running after her. Tracey and Millicent were cackling madly as they followed, wands drawn. Draco raised an eyebrow as the Slytherins chased the poor Ravenclaws down the corridor. Next were the Patil twins and Lavender Brown, reeking of beauty products as they skipped off. The Hufflepuffs were minutes after them, Susan and Megan leading her down the hallway.

Oddly enough, those who had been in there the longest were the last to leave. About forty five minutes after his arrival, Sue Li and Fay Dunbar left, both glowering at him as they went. What the bloody hell did girls do in there? Was Hermione even in there or had she managed to escape, unnoticed, with one of the other groups? He was tempted to look in the lavatory again, but was worried other girls he hadn't noticed entering would be standing around, just waiting to bark at him. By the time an hour had passed he was too worried to care, and cautiously opened the door.

Hermione was at the sink, splashing water onto her pink face. The redness and puffiness of her eyes told Draco exactly what she had been up to. "Er…'Mione?"

"I'll be out in a moment," she said, voice dull and cold enough to give him chill bumps.

He returned to his original waiting spot, not sure that this was the right time for any kind of conversation. Not the sort they needed to have, that Ginny wanted them to have, anyway. Draco banged his head back against the wall. It didn't matter all that much. He _did_ want to make sure she was okay, though. Even if he had to postpone today's plans in favor of giving Hermione time to recoup.

Hermione walked out two minutes later, head held high, looking for all the world as if nothing was wrong. Only the evidence of her crying ruined the image.

"You okay?" Draco asked.

"Yeah. Just not feeling well today, I guess," she replied, voice stronger than it had been earlier.

Draco nodded. "Need to go to the infirmary?"

"No. It's fine. Just…Fuck. Missed Potions," Hermione muttered.

"It'll be fine. Snape was probably glad you didn't vomit in the cauldron or something," Draco shrugged.

Hermione snorted. "As if. He probably would have told me to aim elsewhere or hold it in or something."

Draco chuckled. "More than likely."

She nodded, stood awkwardly for a moment then started down the corridor. Draco frowned as he followed after her. "Do you need to talk?"

"About what?"

"Whatever's upsetting you?"

"Nothing's upsetting me."

"Don't lie to me. Please," Draco said. "Is this about the baby?"

"Merlin! Would you shut up?" Hermione snapped. "Why does everyone keep bringing that up?"

"Because you never do?" he suggested quietly.

"For good reason! Just leave it alone, Draco."

"He was my son, too, you know!"

"Was he? You never seemed too concerned about that while he was _alive_!" she growled.

Draco cringed. Honestly, he hadn't been the ideal father. The child hadn't been born, though. Not yet anyway. She had still been in the early stages of her pregnancy. He had time to get better, didn't he? All he had wanted was time to adjust, to let it all sink in, time to be a bit of a jerk before committing himself to the role of parent. He felt awful about how he had been, how much he steered away from thinking about the baby. Sadly, he put more thought into that child and his possible future now that he was gone then he had when he had been growing, living in Hermione's womb. The boy had been stripped away from the world before he had the chance to experience anything, before Draco had the chance to do right by them.

"I cared about him. I was just scared," Draco admitted.

"Yes, well, now you don't have to be," she said coldly.

"Hermione!"

She stalked off ahead of him angrily. For a moment, Draco stood there, considering just letting her go. With Ginny's words in his head, however, he, eventually, got his feet to move, running after her. When he managed to catch up, walking by her side, he took a moment to catch his breath while she fumed beside him.

"It's not my fault," he finally told her. Even if he felt like it was, logically, he knew it wasn't. It had just happened.

"And it's mine?" she demanded furiously.

"No. It's theirs," he said. "The Death Eaters. They did this. But stop antagonizing me. This happened to _us_."

"This happened to _me_," she hissed. "Stay away from me. This isn't going to work."

"What isn't?"

"This. Trying to be friends again. It won't."

"But we have to. The bond…"

"Can go to hell."

"We can't exactly get rid of it. We're stuck with it so we have to make the best of it! I really don't want to deal with what Harry and Snape have to. Or had to. Or whatever it is now."

"Neither do I. But I also don't want to deal with you."

Draco cringed, feeling as though he had been slapped across the face. Pain crept into his heart, as though it was being squeezed too tightly by some unseen force. She was strangling it, gripping tighter with every nasty word. After taking a minute to compose himself, he went on. "We don't really have a choice, do we? We're sort of stuck together."

"Great," she muttered sarcastically.

"Look, I just want to help."

"There's nothing you can do. I don't need your help anyway."

"Yes, you do. You're not dealing with this like you're supposed to."

"Is there a manual for how I'm supposed to deal with this?" she growled.

Draco grimaced, mentally berating himself for being so stupid. Nothing he said was coming out the way he meant it to. "No. I just mean…You should probably talk about it. Let your friends try to make things better."

"Nothing will make this better," she said. "Look, I know we need to work on the bond. But if we do, you can't keep doing this. I can't deal with it. Just…give me today. I'll help you with your studying tomorrow. If you can keep quiet about all of this and just focus on the future, what we should be doing. If you actually want this to work, that is."

"Of course I do. Just…"

"Good," she said, turning a corner and walking quickly away. By the way she moved, Draco figured there would be no more conversation, no more letting him catch up, nothing but her continuing to get as far from him as possible right now.

"You have to stop running eventually!" he shouted after her.

She didn't say anything, only continued to walk away.

* * *

><p>Right before lunch, Neville headed to the infirmary to meet Cedric. While Madam Pomfrey helped her trainee with a patient, he stood by the door waiting patiently. From the sound of their conversation, he figured it was a potions accident gone very wrong. Mentions of singed off eyebrows and eyelashes were normal enough, but when they started to talk about having to get a particular potion to 'reset his face', he tried to tune them out. It was hard to do. The more they discussed the problem, the more Neville could imagine a poor bloke with his chin too far to the right, mouth and eyes each occupying their own cheek, nose on his forehead, an ear on top of his head and one where his chin should have been.<p>

"We're going to have to let it sit for a few hours," Madam Pomfrey was saying, walking out from behind the curtain.

"Has this ever happened before?" Cedric asked, following her.

"At this school? Only a few times before. I doubt we'll see a case like this again anytime soon."

"Sounds like a bit of a blessing," Neville muttered.

Madam Pomfrey's eyes narrowed as she overheard him. "I wouldn't count those blessings just yet, Mr. Longbottom. There have been numerous strange cases coming in and out of my care. Need we mention the exploding cauldron of 1993?"

Neville paled at the memory. He had been hairless for a year while his skin had been purple for a month! Even after that, his skin still retained hints of purple for several months.

"Sorry, madam," Neville murmured.

"Quite alright. Now, shoo, the both of you. Enjoy your lunch."

"We'll try," Neville whispered, walking out of the room. Already his palms were feeling sweaty, pulse racing, and feeling so lightheaded he was worried he could fall over at any moment. While he knew he was ready for this, it was still nerve-wracking. Merlin, he couldn't hold Cedric's hand like this! His own was all gross now. Quickly, he wiped them on the sides of his robes while Cedric watched on in amusement.

"You sure you want to do this?" he asked quietly.

"P-positive," Neville said.

"That didn't sound too positive," Cedric laughed.

"No, it's fine," Neville said, taking in a deep breath. "Doesn't make this easy, you know. But I want to do this."

"As do I," Cedric assured him, wearing his most charming smile. Seeing it allowed Neville to relax somewhat. "Ready?" With that word he extended his hand.

And Neville took it. Without hesitation, he pressed his hand into his boyfriend's, linking their fingers together, giving a squeeze. Cedric grinned broadly then leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to his cheek. It was impossible not to smile in response then jerk his head in the direction of the Great Hall. Cedric nodded then began walking in that direction, Neville following along on shaky legs. His stomach still churned, still concerned over the reaction that would meet them, but he wasn't alone and he found new confidence and strength in that knowledge.

Since lunch had already begun, they didn't meet anyone for a few minutes. But, as they reached the ground floor, the doors of the Great Hall in sight, they met a few people lingering just outside of it. One small group was made up of Draco, Ginny, Blaise, and Daphne who looked at them, surprised, for a few seconds before breaking out in smiles, giving encouraging nods, thumbs up, and a blown kiss from Daphne. A third year Hufflepuff who was hiccupping violently was walking out of the doors, staring in shock as he passed at their clasped hands. A few of the other students lingering were a few fifth year Ravenclaw boys with two fourth year girls, a Gryffindor and a Hufflepuff.

"Oh my God!" gasped the Gryffindor.

"What are they doing?" whispered one of the Ravenclaws.

Neville was starting to wish he could disappear, but held his head high as he walked with Cedric just past the group. They were all frowning, all staring critically, a few nodding stiffly at them in greeting. He took a deep breath, but it didn't offer any relief. As bad as that was, he was tempted to pull back, to stand there and accept their judgmental looks, because the idea now of entering the Great Hall was terrifying. But he couldn't turn back now. He had to do this.

When they walked in, no one seemed to pay them any mind at first. He half expected everyone to turn and stare at them as they walked in. The student body, however, was too immersed in their food and friends to look their direction. Only a few of the teachers noticed. Professor McGonagall only seemed mildly surprised, nudging the headmaster and nodding in their direction. Dumbledore glanced up at them with a kind smile of his own that eased a few of his most troublesome nerves. Trelawney was nodding knowingly at them, whispering to a grim-faced Vector and wide eyed Sinistra.

As they walked in between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables to find a seat, people began noticing more. Lavender Brown immediately pulled on Parvati's arm, turning her friend to stare at them. Romilda Vane gave them the nastiest look she could muster. Leanne Hart of Hufflepuff blinked furiously at them, as though expecting the image to change. Ernie Macmillan nudged Justin Finch-Fletchley and Zacharias Smith on either side of him, laughing harshly while Zacharias looked angry. Only Justin shrugged his shoulders and went back to eating.

On either side of them, their own houses gaped, pointed, stared, whispered, laughed, shook their heads, and nudged one another, emotions ranging from shocked to disappointed or even angry. The more rare reactions seemed to be the ridicule shown by Ernie and the acceptance shown by Justin. Halfway between the tables he could sense the other Houses standing up to get a look at them, being informed by those nearest them of the two wizards holding hands.

"Nev! Ced! Over here!" Seamus called out when the Hall grew louder, more and more people watching them and talking about them. He stood up at one end of the table, waving them over. Neville began walking faster, pulling his soul mate along, trying all the while not to break out into a run.

There were two open seats in front of Seamus that he pointed to that they gratefully took. Seamus began shoveling food into his mouth again while Demelza sat beside them with a sympathetic smile. On her other side was Dean, who kept glancing between them and his food, sometimes to Seamus, as though he wasn't sure what to think. Eloise Midgen, beside Neville, scooted as far away from him as she could, her face bright red.

"You should try this chicken!" Seamus announced after swallowing. "They must have done something special to it 'cause it's never tasted better!"

"Sounds great. Thanks," Cedric said, giving Neville's hand a small squeeze. "You alright?"

"I'm great," Neville lied, voice sounding squeakier than he intended.

"So…Uh…How long have you two…?" Dean asked, gesturing between them.

"Been together? A few months now," Cedric replied.

"Oh," Dean said.

"Feel free to leave, Eloise," Demelza said dryly. "No one's making you stay. Really, if you want to make an arse out of yourself, go right ahead, but there are plenty of seats available somewhere else."

"It's unnatural," Eloise muttered as she stood up.

"Your rotten attitude towards good people is unnatural!" Demelza snapped as Eloise hurried off.

"That was great, Elza!" Seamus exclaimed, slapping her on the arm.

"Do you need to go, too, Dean?" Demelza asked stiffly.

"I didn't do anything," Dean muttered, glaring at her.

"No, b…"

"Shhh. Eat," Seamus said, nudging her. "He's not as bad as the rest of them."

"I guess not," she muttered.

"Say, you doing alright there, Neville?" Seamus asked, taking another large bite of chicken.

Neville barely heard him. He felt so hot, dizzy, and uncomfortable. And the more people stared, whispering, the worse it got. This had not been a good idea. He shook his head. No, it had been a great idea. Why should he have to hide who he was? It was bad now, but people would eventually get used to it. There wasn't exactly any turning back now. He was going to have to deal with it. Somehow.

A girl his year with long brown hair and blue-violet eyes slid into the seat Eloise had vacated. Fay was in his year, though they hadn't spoken to each other much before. Once seated, she leaned in to give Neville a hug he wasn't quite expecting. Quite a few people turned to stare at her as she did so then gave him a peck on the cheek when she pulled back.

"It'll be okay," Fay told him, then handed him a sheet of parchment. On it was a saying written in block letters outlined in purple ink filled in by zig-zagged lines in green ink. _Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind – Dr. Seuss_. Surrounding the words were quickly sketched designs of hearts, stars, smiley faces, and her signature at the very bottom. _Fay Dunbar_. There were also two animated drawings; a balloon that floated up and down the picture. Beneath the words was a badly drawn cat that walked back and forth beneath it, tail flicking up to touch the letters occasionally.

"Wh…who is Dr. S…sss…eh…uh…"

"_Ssssssooooooosssssss_!" Fay said slowly. "Dr. Seuss! He's a Muggle who wrote a lot of kid books my mum used to read to me and my brother all the time. My mum gave me the quote a few years ago when I was having problems. When I saw all the trouble you were having, I thought of it so I drew this real quick. He was a really smart man, you know."

"I…Yeah, that makes sense," Neville said, reading the words again. Of everything, he really had not expected this to happen. To be approached by a girl he barely talked to, having some conversation about a Muggle doctor who wrote children stories.

"But you see…I dunno. Thought it might make you feel better. If anyone's mean to you then you should just ignore them because they don't even matter," she said, pointing to the words. "If you ever need someone to talk to, let me know. Both of you."

"Thank you so much," Cedric said, reaching a hand out behind Neville towards her. "I'm Cedric Diggory."

"Oh, I know!" she giggled, shaking his hand. "Fay Dunbar."

"You wanna eat with us, Fay?" Demelza asked kindly.

"Oh, I…Well, sure," Fay said with a smile.

Neville read the quote a few more times, letting it sink in. He figured her advice was easier said than done. Really, though, most of his real friends had already announced their acceptance of the fact. And the people he cared about really should be the only ones who mattered. It didn't make dealing with all of the judgment any easier. But it was still a very nice, unexpected gesture.

"Oh…Thanks. I really like this," Neville said, carefully sliding the parchment into his bag.

There was a lot of silent communication between the others while Neville ate his food. The harder he tried to ignore the attention, the more he couldn't help but notice it. It was only when Seamus directly asked him a question about Herbology that was he able to focus on something else. Cedric shot him a grateful look. And, as the he became more involved with the group, Neville felt a bit lighter. Time spent conversing with his friends made it easy to forget, if only for a little while, the trouble brewing outside of their group.

* * *

><p>While his friends enjoyed lunch in the Great Hall, Harry was sharing a private meal with Snape. After Potions, the man had pulled him aside to say they would be unable to meet at their usual time due to a mandatory staff meeting. Harry rejoiced internally for only a moment before Snape bitterly informed him that Dumbledore still wanted them to work together, so set it up so that they could have lunch in the dungeons.<p>

Really, as much as he dreaded these times with the man, they weren't as bad as they used to be. The worst part of today was that he was already eager for tomorrow to come. It was the day they would be having sex again and it was Snape's turn to top! Harry had been so horny these past few weeks that realizing he wanted to have sex with the greasy bastard hardly bothered him anymore. It was only more difficult to get through these conversations with sex on his mind, especially since Snape wanted to talk about it.

Following useless questions about favorite classes and teachers, what Harry's were now and what Snape's had been as a student, the man smirked then asked, "And how many people have you slept with, Potter?"

Harry blinked. "What?"

"How many people have you fucked?"

"Oh. Um. You," Harry said, shaking his head. "Why?"

"There have been rumors of you and Black," Snape said with an innocent shrug, though the malicious glimmer in his black eyes told a different story.

"There are _what_?" Harry gasped. "But he's…he's my _godfather_!"

"And of no close blood relation," Snape shrugged.

"Is there really a rumor about that?" Harry demanded.

"Really, Potter, you do visit the man more than is normal," Snape replied.

"But…Don't people know he's my godfather?"

"I doubt many people spend _quite_ so much time with their godparents."

"But…that's…What about you? I spend just as much time with you!"

"Yes. But who in their right mind would imagine we're shagging?"

Harry shook his head. Then, as the irony set in, he couldn't help but laugh. "Wow. Merlin, do they _really_?"

"I don't believe it's a very popular idea," Snape said, taking a sip of his wine. "Honestly, I only overheard a sarcastic remark made by Theodore Nott about how you must be putting out for him. So, perhaps, 'rumor' is a bit of a strong word."

"You're an arse, you know that?" Harry laughed, shaking his head.

Snape raised an eyebrow as he took another bite of his food, then a sip of his wine. Meanwhile, Harry tried to imagine a real rumor that he was sleeping with Sirius. Yuck. Besides, Sirius was too busy fucking Lucius Malfoy and Aurora Sinistra. Harry once even overheard him complaining to Remus about having a drunken one night stand with Rolanda Hooch. Plus, Sirius was old enough to be his father!

Though so was the Potions Master. And he had also had sex with Lucius Malfoy. But that was something Harry preferred to forget about. Besides, he had no choice but to sleep with Snape.

"Fourteen," Snape said.

"Huh?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "You normally return my questions back to me, so I was answering, as you have forgotten to ask. I have slept with fourteen people."

"_Fourteen_?" Harry gasped without thinking. "But you…I just mean…Fourteen? Wow."

His soul mate glowered at him. "Yes, Potter, fourteen. There are the desperate closeted homosexuals such as Lucius Malfoy who get it from a man where they can. Though, I assure you, not all of my sexual partners have been as popular as Lucius, Regulus, and _yourself_." He sounded bitter about this, causing Harry to flinch and mentally berate himself for being so insensitive. "Unattractive people don't tend to mind sexual relations with _other_ unattractive people. Sometimes one must seduce those too drunk to care. So, contrary to popular belief, I have maintained a rather healthy sex life."

"Err…Right," Harry said uncomfortably, face burning pink as he quickly stuffed his sandwich into his mouth.

"Favorite sexual position?"

Harry choked on his food. Swallowing quickly, he gulped down his pumpkin juice, shifting uncomfortably where he sat as his trousers became tighter. How was he supposed to answer that? The truth was too embarrassing. He liked it most when Snape topped and, even more strange, when he was on his back. There was just something about the way their sweaty bodies pressed together, Snape's face buried in his neck, clutching at each other desperately as the man drilled into him that was mind-blowingly spectacular. Or even when Snape held his legs pressed to his chest, gripping his thighs tightly, as Harry held the pillow in a death grip, holding on for dear life as the man plowed into him, listening to his animalistic grunts, feeling sweat dripping onto him from the man's brow, the way his face twisted up in ecstasy, and the moment towards the end when Snape swooped down to kiss him deeply, swallowing his every scream as he came between them. The more the mental images flew through his mind, the more he moved around, avoiding eye contact with the man.

What he wanted to tell him was a lie. That he liked it best when Snape was on his knees sucking him or when he could fuck Snape from behind without having to see his ugly face. It was mean, though, and they couldn't do that to each other now. Even without worrying about the bond, Harry wasn't sure he wanted to be an arse to him.

So he settled on, "I'm a teenager. All sex is good to me."

"Hmmm," Snape said, watching him closely. Harry didn't think the man believed him, which made him all the more embarrassed. But he sat tall, determined to stick to his story.

"So…erm…What's yours?" Harry asked, eager to move on.

"I enjoy being inside of you, Harry," Snape said quietly, voice taking on that seductive edge that could have lured the straightest of men into his bed. That tone shot straight to his groin, making him shiver. He swallowed hard. How on earth was he supposed to get through the rest of this meeting if Snape kept talking that way?

"That's…that's it?"

"Oh? You want a more detailed picture?" Snape asked. "Well, then, I must oblige. I can admit seeing you on your hands and knees does have its advantages. But I most prefer pinning you to my bed, flat on your back with your legs high in the air. I love to fuck you, Mr. Potter. Feeling your body clench around me, as though begging me to stay. You're very tight, you know? More so than most of my sexual partners. But what I like most is being able to _watch_ you. If you knew half of the things you did in the throes of passion you would die of shame." The man smirked evilly. "You love being fucked. I can hear it in your moans, and I can see it in your eyes. And I can feel it in the way your walls clamp down around me, the way you wind your legs around me, how your hands grip at every bit of flesh they come in contact with. Your passion for being fucked rivals that of Lucius Malfoy which, I assure you, is no easy feat. He's the biggest cock slut I ever have seen."

"Shite," Harry mumbled, clutching the cushions of the couch as Snape's words settled over him. He might have been more worried about how obvious he was about liking to bottom was he not so distracted by his imagination. The band around his wrist felt too restrictive. As did all of his clothes. How much time did they have for lunch? Could they manage a quick shag before their next class?

"Tell me, Mr. Potter. _Do_ you like being fucked?" Snape asked.

"It's…it's alright," Harry said breathlessly, willing his arousal to go away. "So…um…babies. I need to talk to you about the babies."

With the decision made last night, he fully intended to tell Snape today about the Transfer. He had been too nervous to do so when the meeting started, but now was the perfect time! Focusing so much on sex was going to get him into trouble. What better cock block than to bring up his pregnancy?

Already Snape's eyes darkened. "I thought I made it clear that I did not wish to hear of your offspring."

"_Our_ offspring," Harry reminded him.

"Unless you have decided to abort them, I don't…"

"I'm not having an abortion."

"Then I don't want to know."

"But I…"

"I will not claim those little bastards you are carrying, Potter, so you would do well to leave the matter alone. They are yours, therefore anything regarding them is your decision. Kindly leave me out of it," Snape said. The man struggled to keep his words and tone as polite as possible, but the effort was clear. As was the burning anger in his eyes.

Harry banged his head back against the couch in frustration. The Potions Master refused to even listen to him! He should have known the subject would be unwelcome, but he felt it was something Snape needed to know. But maybe it didn't really matter. Snape made it clear he would have nothing to do with their children so, maybe, he should just give up trying to involve him at all. It certainly wasn't worth the risk of messing up their bond.

Clearing his throat, Harry changed tracks. "So, have you read any new books lately?"

Snape still glared at him, but settled down as he responded. "I don't have time for leisure reading."

When the man didn't return with another question, obviously still fuming about his gall to bring up the taboo subject, Harry went on. "I heard Jack Sloper had an accident in Potions today."

Listening to Snape rant about the idiocy of his fifth year Gryffindor-Hufflepuff class was preferable to having the man shouting at him. Besides, it was actually amusing when the man wasn't insulting him or his friends. Words like 'dunderheads' and 'eternal detention' came up, as well as a very grotesque description of what Jack Sloper looked like when Romilda Vane helped him to the infirmary. Things remained tense for the remainder of lunch, but Harry saw it as a good sign of their progress that Snape didn't snap at him for the rest of the meeting.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I had way too much fun with this chapter, I'll admit! It's also the fastest I've updated in a while, I believe! So excited! I hope you liked it! If you did, please review!

Speaking of reviews, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed chapter 32! Hentai18ancilla, xXxElectraxXx, JaneAlpha, heyya15965, E. Chickarita, Nocturnal Rose, Nightcurse, Tokugawa Blitzer, Sirius-dorkis010, AlmondWithUnicornHair, French Pixie, mayajane, LightningBoltScarsandMe, sev's-sexy-mistress, Reader-anonymous-writer, and various guests! I love you guys! Also a huge thank you to my amazingful beta who puts up with me and fixes all of my stupid mistakes!

Don't forget you can like me on FB for updates about this and all of my other stories! And more!


	35. Chapter 34

**CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR**

* * *

><p>On Wednesday night, the group gathered again in the Room of Requirement. They were not surprised to see Grace Potter walk in with three new members who ended up being the soul mated pair of Fay Dunbar and Justin Finch-Fletchley as well as her Slytherin friend, Mafalda Prewett, whose soul mate was Roy Vizant, a handsome Slytherin sixth year she was too afraid to talk to. Neville was honestly glad to see Fay in the room with them. Ever since her show of support the day before, they found themselves talking more all through class today.<p>

"Not that we're not welcoming to new members, but, Grace, you can't keep bringing in new people all of the time," Ginny remarked.

"Why not? Everyone deserves to know who their soul mate is!" Grace said, happily, flopping down in Mafalda's lap.

"How do you keep doing it anyway?" Blaise asked curiously. "Aren't Snape and Dumbledore the only ones with the equipment?"

"Yes," Grace said slyly. "I snuck into Snape's office to do mine!" She shot Astoria a meaningful look that the blond ignored. "Anyway, I figured the chances of breaking back in were low so I put a few drops of the ink into an empty phial then brought it to Mafalda! She's about as smart as Hermione, you know!"

"Is she now?" Draco said doubtfully, eying the strawberry blond witch beneath Grace.

"Mhm!" Grace chirped. "Anyway, she was able to figure out how Snape made the ink. But even that failed, so I had to steal the quill for a few days to let Mafalda study it. Then she replicated it, cast the proper spells on the replica, and presto! We were good to go after that!"

"Why cast the spells on it if you replicated it?" Blaise asked confusedly.

"Replicating magical objects will lessen the strength of the power in the replica," Mafalda said quietly. "I wanted to make sure it worked right. I undid the damage, so to speak, on the replica, recast the spells, and it was perfect."

"But why replicate it if you had to remove the magic from it anyway?" Blaise asked.

"Because it was a special quill. It was made differently than your average one, without the magical properties. I didn't want to take the chance that the creation played an important role in how it worked, so I replicated it," Mafalda explained with a shrug.

"Oh, Okay," Blaise said, still looking unsure, but seeming to accept that he wouldn't get much more information.

"So you have your own means of finding out a person's soul mate?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Yep!" Grace said happily.

"I'm surprised _more_ people don't know then," Ginny muttered.

"Hey! I can keep a secret," Grace huffed.

The occupants of the room all just stared at her until she blushed then grinned sheepishly.

"So, why is your friend just now joining us if she's known for so long?" Daphne asked.

"Oh, Mafalda just isn't into group activities all that much, but I asked her to at least give it a try. So, here we are!"

"I actually expected more than this," Mafalda said quietly, glancing around.

The group was at one of its lower points tonight. Hermione was hiding in her books again while Harry had one of those longer meetings with Snape. Seamus and Ron had detention while Megan and Susan stayed behind in their common rooms to comfort Hannah, who was reeling from a recent fight with her husband. Morag and Luna, to the amusement of most, were having a date in the Astronomy Tower.

"Not everyone comes all the time," Grace assured her. "Harry's usually here because his 'meetings' with Snape are usually scheduled before or after ours. But, once or twice a week, he and Snape fuck so he doesn't show up. Too busy getting his brains buggered out."

"Ugh, gross," Ginny muttered.

"Did not want that mental image," Draco groaned.

"Honestly, she's said worse about them," Blaise shrugged.

"And you wonder why I never wanted to come to these things," Mafalda muttered.

"Wait. Harry and Snape?" Fay asked, eyes wide.

"Mhm," Daphne said.

"You didn't even tell them, Grace?" sighed Ginny.

"Well, I can only remember so much at one time!" Grace huffed. "But, yeah. Harry's knocked up with Snape's kid. They've been boffing each other since the end of summer. You can't tell anyone though, okay?"

"I don't think anyone would believe me," Fay said faintly.

"That's sort of…sick," Justin said, looking horribly disturbed.

"So, you two can keep secrets, right?" Ginny pushed.

"Sure, I guess," Justin said uncomfortably. "But…Well…Isn't it wrong?"

"Very wrong. But not much we can do about it," shrugged Cedric. "It's best just to not think about it, really."

"Err…Right. Sorry."

"Ahem," Cedric said, standing. "Grace, you might want to explain to your friends everything with a bit more detail. But, I do want to say that after looking at everything I could find, I _have_ decided that I will definitely attempt the Transfer."

"Woo-hoo!" exclaimed Daphne, who had already heard the news.

"Oh, really?" Draco asked, surprised. "No offense, but I half expected it to be too hard to even risk once you read up on it more."

"Well, it is a bit tricky in that there isn't much information dedicated to Fetal Transfers. But, the procedure as described in the books, while complicated, looks manageable. I _would_ appreciate all of the help I could get, though."

"I wouldn't mind being there to help oversee things," Mafalda said, raising her hand.

"Really?" Cedric asked skeptically. "What year are you in?"

"Third year. With Grace," Mafalda replied, sitting taller. "But I make very good grades. I'm very confident I could be of _some_ service."

"She really is super smart!" Grace offered. "She's just as good as Hermione, I swear it!"

"That's possible?" Ginny muttered.

"Look, it's not as if I'll be performing the Transfer myself. It can't hurt to have as much help as possible," Mafalda replied logically.

"I…Well, that's true," Cedric said, scratching his head then turning to Neville. His soul mate shrugged with an uncertain look towards the young Slytherin. He didn't know much about Mafalda Prewett but she did have a point. Cedric needed all of the help he could get with this! The idea that an unqualified wizard was going to perform such a complicated procedure was terrifying. He knew his boyfriend was beyond scared to do so, but felt obligated to help them out. As he explained it last night, Harry did have a point with his arguments for the Transfer. He would have felt more comfortable with Madam Pomfrey, or a licensed healer, doing it, but understood why Harry was reluctant to let anyone else know. He also knew that Madam Pomfrey would never agree to it. Neville was a bit aggravated with his friends for making Cedric feel like he _had_ to do this, but knew there was no use in bringing it up. Everyone had already made up their minds about it.

"Meet us here during dinner tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Almost every day Severus had the great misfortune of attempting to get along with the Boy Who Lived. Dumbledore could be pleased with himself, as both wizards had learned some form of restraint. Severus still didn't like the boy, nor did he believe Potter was harboring any fondness for him. They tolerated each other in hopes of strengthening their bond. Agreeing to a Soul Bond with Harry Potter was likely the worst mistake of his life, right behind joining the Death Eaters. There was no use fussing about it now as the damned thing was unbreakable. The only thing that really made the whole thing worth it was being able to fuck the boy now and then. While Potter was still insisting on being able to top every other time, Severus had, by now, learned to make the most of his turn while blocking out the repulsiveness whenever it was his soul mate's.<p>

Unfortunately, while tonight was his turn to top, Severus had a difficult time getting into it. Ever since the boy had the gall to bring up his condition last night, it was all he could think about. This gawky teenage _boy_ was carrying his _children_. It was still the strangest concept he had to deal with, as well as one of the most unpleasant. Why on earth the child thought he could care for babies, _especially_ at a time like this, was beyond him and, quite frankly, absurd. Severus, himself, already made very clear that he had no intentions of partaking in the children's lives.

He was not meant to be a father. Dumbledore had a nice laugh, contradicting him by pointing out how fate must be trying to tell him something since he managed to impregnate his very male lover. Then there was the fact that the triplets, somehow, managed to survive what should have been a lethal mix of potions in Potter's body, at least to the fetuses, as well as the injuries he sustained during battle. It was all highly coincidental to Severus. Or, perhaps, fate was playing a cruel prank on the both of them. However, he believed it unfair that anyone should pressure him into playing _daddy_ to children he never intended to have, or wanted, in the first place. He could admit to wanting them to disappear for selfish reasons. But, really, what kind of father could he be? As a teacher, he was despised and could honestly say he felt the same for the brats he had the misfortune of teaching. He had no real parental influences to draw from. If the little monsters managed to be born, they would be lucky not to have Severus Snape in their lives and he, likewise, would be lucky to not have to deal with filthy nappies or pathetic wailing.

Thoughts of those children being born made his stomach churn and his blood boil. Who did Potter think he was bringing children into this world? They were in the middle of a war! They'd be better off dying in the womb rather than suffering whatever torments the Death Eaters or Voldemort himself might inflict upon the offspring of the Chosen One. Then there was the obvious fact that Potter was far too young and naïve to care for himself, let alone three helpless beings. It was all he could think of when Potter showed up and it took all of his willpower not to stand there and screech at the boy until he saw sense.

Instead, he immediately drew the boy down onto his couch, ripped his clothes away, then set about performing phenomenal fellatio on the undeserving brat. Unable to help but notice, his rounding stomach was another big turn off that he grimaced at as he took the boy's hardness into his mouth, sucking brutally while gripping his hips. There was no teasing tonight. Hopefully, giving the boy oral sex would be enough to appease the bond, because he doubted he could get it up tonight. Halfway through, he summoned a phial of lubricant from his bedroom so that he might finger him, encouraged to go on by the moans the boy so freely gave.

By the time Potter shot his load into his mouth, Severus found himself surprisingly interested in the proceedings.

Potter, being a surprisingly considerate spirit, pushed Severus back then sliding onto the floor on his knees, pushing his thighs apart. Clumsy fingers worked with the button but, being as impatient as he was, Severus slapped his hand away, making quick work of unbuttoning and unzipping his trousers, pulling them clean off to give the boy more room to play. The boy licked his lips as he watched, green eyes never moving from his crotch. The moment Severus settled back into the couch, Potter was on him, returning the favor.  
>The time the boy finished, Severus had enough left in him to pull him into his lap to continue the fun.<p>

The hardest moments were coming down from the orgasmic high to the irritation of having the so-called 'Chosen One' clinging to him. Prophecy or no, if the public saw Potter the way Severus did, they would seriously question who they hailed as their hero. He wanted nothing more than to shove the boy away with some snide remarks that would make the strongest of men flinch. As they had come to an agreement to play nicer though, he bit them all back, letting his arms fall to the side so that the brat would understand that he was done.

In a moment slower than he would have liked, Potter pulled back, slid off of his lap, and lay down on the couch with a wide yawn. "Surely you're not tired already?" he said sarcastically.

"What's it matter to you?"

Severus scowled then abruptly stood to search for his clothes. "I would hate to see how you adapted to a _real_ night with me."

"You're not bad, Snape, but aren't you overestimating yourself a bit?" Potter snorted.

He raised an eyebrow at the boy, but Harry's eyes were closed so he couldn't see it. Rolling his eyes, he pulled on his pants then his trousers. After a few moments of silence, the brat opened his eyes. "That wasn't a challenge, was it? Because I think you're pretty done for the night."

Severus paused with his hands over the button of his trousers. The thrill of his words left him with no doubt that he could possibly get it up again before long, despite what they had already done. Even if he couldn't naturally, he would cheat by use of potions if need be. Spending more time with Potter was never a good thing unless he got the fuck the boy senseless over and over again. Both did have classes in the morning, but it would be well worth it, he thought.

"If you are unsure of your own stamina, boy, you should leave now," Severus warned, shoving his clothes back down. "Otherwise, I fear, you are in for a _very_ long night."

It was impossible to miss the lustful excitement filling the green eyes that followed his every step back to the couch.

* * *

><p>Since the whole school realized just days ago that Neville and Cedric were together, things had been different. It hadn't been as awful as they expected, though. People stared, whispered, pointed, and avoided, but no one had been outright mean.<p>

Until Thursday afternoon, that was. Neville was just leaving his last class of the day, walking to meet his friends by the lake after leaving the greenhouses. He was halfway to his destination when he noticed them approaching. It was a group of Slytherins coming from the side, front, and behind him. Millicent, Crabbe, and Goyle had been in class with him, seeming to Neville they had been following him this whole time without his realizing it. Pansy and two girls he didn't recognize came up on one side while Tracey Davis arrived on the other with three boys. Nott was coming straight towards him with the largest group of six other people. To his surprise, he learned that a few of the strangers were from other houses.

Nausea filled his stomach, but he swallowed hard, stood tall, continuing to walk. Neville was not going to let them know they scared him if he could help it. Nott only grinned, as though he knew the act he was playing.

"There's the little fag. We've been looking for you," Nott said.

"Don't call me that," Neville commanded, voice trembling.

"Awww. Poor girl doesn't like to be told what she is," giggled Pansy.

"I'm not a girl!" Neville snapped.

"We _did_ have a hard time deciding which of you was the girl," Tracey laughed. "Two pretty boys together, after all. We decided Diggory could be the man, though, since he's the attractive one."

"And you're so fat we thought you wouldn't have the stamina to give him a good fucking," Pansy said with a wink.

"I'm not fat. And we haven't done that," Neville stammered, gulping as he neared Nott. He kept with his idea, though, and tried to walk right through them, hoping they would be shoved aside by his movement. Not so much. The group cackled as Neville fell back, landing on his rear painfully.

"Can't blame Diggory for not wanting to touch you," Nott sneered. "He could do much better, really."

"It really is a shame he's queer. I thought he was a decent bloke," Tracey said.

"He's a great wizard. I don't see why being gay changes that," Neville said.

"You don't?" giggled Pansy.

"It's _wrong_!" exclaimed one of the strangers from Ravenclaw, a plump girl with light brown hair. "Homosexuals are bad! I have a little sister who's a first year! You can ruin your life if you want, but I won't let you shove your depravity in her face! She might get the wrong idea."

"Merlin forbid someone in this school learns acceptance," Neville muttered. His face was bright red by now, having trouble looking anyone in the face, his body was trembling, but he wouldn't give up. Coughing then taking a deep breath, he forced himself to speak louder. "I was always taught that love was a good thing. Something powerful."

"It's not love. It's Dark," claimed the Ravenclaw's large Hufflepuff boyfriend. His fat jiggled as he jabbed his finger repeatedly in Neville's direction. "You are polluting our school with your gayness."

"I don't really see how my personal life affects any of you," Neville snapped. "There's nothing wrong with Cedric and me. We are good people who really care about each other. Those are the only things that really matter."

"You're not good people! There is nothing good about a man loving another man!"

"Or fucking another man!" laughed someone else.

"You don't care about each other. If you cared, you would try to help each other out of this disgusting lifestyle. All people like you care about are your perverted kinks!"

"It's not like that!" Neville said loudly, calmly. "You don't know me or him, so keep your mouths shut, okay? Now, let me through. I don't feel like spending my afternoon with a group of judgmental…" He struggled a moment, not sure what to call them, wavering over anything too mean, before deciding on, "people."

Above all of the angry chatter and cruel laughter was the sound of applause and cheering. Neville blinked in confusion until a glaring Nott was shoved aside. Blaise and Draco walked through, each grabbing one of Neville's arms, leading him out of the angry circle to where his friends all stood, clapping, grinning madly then rushing towards him.

Daphne was the first to grab him, kissing all over his face then hugging him so tightly he felt as though he might pop. "You did so good, Nev! You stood up for yourself! I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks," he muttered, stunned.

"Way to go, Neville!" Seamus cheered.

Harry clapped his back. "That was great."

It took him a moment to realize that Cedric was among them, waiting patiently for his friends to finish. When they had all finished, the brunette glanced up at the lingering Slytherins then smiled at Neville as he walked forward. To his pleasure, as well as surprise, Cedric cupped his face then leaned forward to press a sweet kiss to his lips. Instantly, his hands shot up to grab his arms for support, whole body tingling pleasantly at the feel of warm, soft lips moving against his.

"WOO-HOO!" called out Daphne.

"Scum!" Millicent screamed.

"Get a room, you two!" Seamus laughed.

"Disgusting!" shouted Pansy.

"Beautiful!" Grace cheered.

"Filthy faggots!" Nott bellowed.

"Those dirt-licking Slytherins are done," Seamus growled, pulling out his wand. Ron followed him towards the group. Neville and Cedric quickly pulled away to see Harry, Blaise, Draco, and Grace start to follow them. Seeing Professors Black, McGonagall, and Sinistra coming out of the castle, though, Daphne quickly shouted out a warning, reaching out to pull Grace back. The others noticed then stopped, only Ron and Seamus still charging forward.

A few hexes were thrown, though it was hard to tell who had done what to whom. McGonagall shouted angrily while Sirius ran down the hill, using his own wand to shove the Slytherins and Gryffindors apart. Cedric grabbed Neville's hand while the adults fussed at their students, assigning detentions to Seamus, Ron, Nott, Millicent, and Crabbe. When that was done, Sinistra stayed to talk to the Slytherins while Sirius and McGonagall turned to them.

"Harry, Grace, what happened?" Sirius asked. Grace stepped forward to hug him while Harry explained.

"Diggory, Longbottom," McGonagall said, wearing a frown of disapproval. Neville suddenly felt dread fill his heart. "You are aware of the rules between staff and students?"

"Um," Neville said, glancing uncertainly at Cedric. All he really knew was the rule that applied to teachers. But did that extend to all of the staff? Did Cedric even count as Hogwarts staff? He was a student himself, wasn't he? After all, he was still in medical training under Madam Pomfrey though he did work with her, help her with things, too.

"I thought not," she sighed. "As it is, the headmaster had chosen to allow the relationship to continue. But you must be careful. I would also strongly advise against such obvious displays." She looked pointedly to their linked hands. Neville let go, but Cedric held on. Her gaze softened. "You are good young wizards, gentlemen. I wouldn't want any harm to come to either of you. Do try to be more discreet."

Neville wasn't sure if she spoke for her own disagreement with their sexuality or because of the issue of student-staff relationships. He nodded numbly, however, without a word as Cedric did the same. Looking appeased, McGonagall turned to question Fay and Justin about the incident while Sirius continued asking the others.

Cedric rubbed his thumb soothingly over Neville's hand before carefully letting go of it. He frowned at the emptiness of the feeling, turning to face his boyfriend. "I asked Poppy for the afternoon off so I can get ready for the Transfer tonight. I also thought we might spend some time together?"

He grinned, unable to help himself. "Did you have something in mind?"

"Nothing specific, just you," Cedric assured him, glancing quickly up at McGonagall before taking up his hand then pressing his lips to the top of it. Neville blushed, squirming where he stood while glancing uncomfortably around them. Cedric only chuckled as he let go again. "Shall we?"

"Shall we what? I thought you didn't know what we were doing."

"We can walk around until we figure it out," Cedric suggested with a shrug, offering his handsome smile that never ceased to make Neville feel like he was melting.

"Sure, alright," he said breathlessly, sticking close to the older wizard as he led him away.

* * *

><p>That night, members of the so-called 'Soul Mates Club' gathered for the first time outside of the Room of Requirement. The room was being used for the Transfer. It was nerve-wracking for almost everyone, considering the group had become close over the past months spent together. They got along so much so, in fact, that they had begun meeting more and more frequently. While Ginny had barely known them before, she now sat with Megan, Fay, and Luna, reading today's copy of the <em>Daily Prophet<em> for what had to be the hundredth time. It was the first peep from the Death Eaters made since the attack on Hogsmeade. They made the front page for invading the homes of two Muggleborns as well as one pureblood wizard and his Muggle wife. Everyone in the houses had been brutally slaughtered. The wording suggested that the Killing Curse had not been used, that they all had been murdered in a more creative fashion. They censored out all of the awful details, but Ginny could still imagine what things must have been like. She almost wished she did know what had taken place, if only in hopes that they weren't as bad as her thoughts wanted her to believe.

The war was far from over. Sadly, it took this to put everything into perspective for her. Gnawing on her lower lip, she cast her eyes around the room once more. Seeing no sign of him she turned to Megan who was wiping her eyes. "Mr. Erder was an old friend of my mum's. We used to visit them all the time, you know. My sister Nicole and I stopped going to visit with them, though, the past few years. We were such brats. Had better things to do, you see. And the Erder kids were always so annoying. And now they're all just _dead_! I feel so awful. They really were the sweetest family. How could they just do something like that? How does anyone attack someone who hasn't even done anything to them?"

She was sobbing by now, so Ginny put an arm around her, letting her cry on her shoulder. Fay frowned deeply as she watched them. "They're barely even human anymore, are they? The Death Eaters."

"They might be frightened." Luna said quietly. "The Dark Lord scares plenty of people. I also hear he recruited an army of drartors recently. They're terrifying creatures."

"What are…Never mind. They're still sick," Fay muttered.

"Some might be," Ginny agreed quietly. "But not all of them. They're just cruel, power-hungry, bigoted, selfish bastards who don't give a damn about anyone or anything other than themselves."

Hearing the door open, she glanced up, trying to pay attention to what Luna was saying as she watched Blaise walk in, speaking quietly to Demelza. She felt bad about getting up when Megan was still upset, but the Hufflepuff sat herself up, wiping her eyes as she replied to whatever she had said. Grateful she wouldn't have to be terribly rude, Ginny quickly excused herself, stood up, then hurried over to where Blaise was. Oddly enough, he and Demelza seemed to be having a similar discussion.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Blaise was saying. "Some are insane. Others, yes, are sadistic freaks of nature. Most of the Death Eaters, though, are stuck. The Dark Lord lured them in before they knew just what they were getting into. You have to understand, there aren't many 'new' members. Most joined long ago, before he rose to power, in a time before the whole world understood just what sort of lunatic he was. Or, rather, is. By the time they took the Mark, they couldn't escape. A few did manage, true, but most were scared because they had too much to lose. The Dark Lord might be this awful excuse for a wizard, but he didn't get to where he was without some sort of genius. I can't say I know everything, but he does seem to have _something_ to hold over their heads. Why would he risk them being able to leave so easily? Then there is the point about the new generation. A lot of them are joining out of pressure. Some do hold his beliefs. A lot of them just grew up this way. Not to defend them all, they're a horrible group of people, but they aren't all complete monsters. Everyone is different. They all have their own re…reasons." He finally caught sight of Ginny who was waiting patiently to the side for him to finish talking.

"Sorry," she said. "I need to talk to you when you have a chance."

"Go on ahead," Demelza said warily. She seemed to be holding back a lot of nasty retorts. Ginny couldn't blame her. Blaise might have a point, but she didn't want to see that right now. Death Eaters were bad, no matter their excuses. What sort of human being could so easily destroy another person the way they did? Fortunately, something else was at the forefront of her mind, keeping her from snapping at him.

"What is it?" he asked, leading her a little ways from the rest of the group, sitting at a table at the back of the class while most were seated at the front.

"I want to bond because it could be good for the war effort or something. If we were stronger, we'd be better. The same reasons everyone else did it," Ginny explained, getting right to the point. "You were right. Cedric and Neville were amazing in that battle. But I don't want to commit myself to something like this if we end up like Hermione and Draco or Harry and Snape. If I agree to this, you have to _swear_ we will always put the bond first, work with it, never letting _anything_ get in the way of it or ruin it. Because, if we don't, if we let it fail, we'll be just like them. This bond can be destructive if we don't treat it right. So I will bond with you _if_ you promise me that. Because, if you bugger this up, Blaise Isaiah Zabini…"

"Who the hell told you my middle name?" he interrupted, frowning.

"It was in the soul mate test results," she explained with a wave of her hand. "As I was saying, if you bugger this up, I'll have to kill you."

The Slytherin grinned. "I promise, Ginevra what's-your-middle name…"

"Molly."

"Ginevra Molly Weasley."

Bright brown eyes studied him for a moment before she relaxed. It didn't make her feel much better. There was no telling what the future had in store. If relationships were hard work, then going into a Soul Bond had to be ten times worse. It had turned out to be much more complicated than any of them had ever expected. She could see in his eyes, though, a determination that matched her own. Blaise, too, had seen the effects of failed bonds. With that knowledge, surely, they would be better going into it. Knowing what they were getting into had to be an advantage.

It was a bit scary, considering the Soul Bond was permanent. She would be bound to Blaise for the rest of her life, would always have some sort of attachment to him. Her only comfort was that they were soul mates and that had to mean something. As crazy as it seemed, especially with some of the oddball pairings they had heard of, they were mated for a reason. The Soul Bond only worked for soul mates for a reason. Everyone had the possibility of making it work, regardless of their situation. It was all about the choices each person made. Besides, she and Blaise got on well enough.

For a few minutes she just sat there, watching her friends talk amongst themselves. Blaise quietly sat beside her, watching her, until he finally cleared his throat to get her attention. Ginny smiled sheepishly then shook her head. Part of her really didn't want to do this, but a sense of duty led her to nod her head. "Alright, we'll do it then. Not right now, but soon."

"The sooner the better," Blaise agreed grimly.

"I don't think I have the brain power to think too much about it right now. I only knew that I wan…need to do it," she explained. "But, between Harry having the Transfer, Draco and Hermione's issues, now all of these attacks, it's all just a bit much."

"It is," he agreed, scooting his chair closer to her, placing his hand on hers. "Potter and Daphne are both strong. They'll come out fine. So will the kids, I imagine. They're Potters, too, and they do have the damnedest luck concerning survival, don't they?"

Ginny couldn't help but laugh at that. Harry was the Boy-Who-Lived, after all. Then James, Lily, and Grace had all survived for years in a Death Eater prison, ending up a few out of only a handful of survivors from the breakout. Not to mention all of the danger Harry had faced these past years, overcoming it all. It didn't necessarily mean anything, but it did offer some relief.

"Now, Draco and Hermione are just plain being stupid right now," Blaise said, rolling his dark eyes. "I understand they've been through a lot, but now's not the time to act like prats about everything. We're in the middle of a war, for Merlin's sake. They should focus on that instead of letting petty feelings fuck them over."

"They did lose a baby," Ginny defended weakly. Only because Draco was her boyfriend did she felt the need to offer that up. It was true but, honestly, she felt the way Blaise did. Sure, they lost the baby. But it had been months ago. There were so many bigger things happening around them, too many for them to afford being distant or mean to one another.

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment further. By his look she figured he could tell she didn't have much faith in her statement, either. "As for the attacks. That's war for you. Things aren't going to be pretty. Probably won't get better anytime soon. A lot of people are going to die before the end of this. But we're going to survive. You, me, all of our dumb friends, and we're going to win."

"You're not about to give me a pep talk, are you?" she teased with a grin, sitting up straighter. There was an odd flutter in her chest as the reassurance warmed her blood, feeling as though she was waking up energized from the depressive sleep she had been sulking in most of the night. There wasn't any doubt in Blaise at all, something she envied as well as admired. "I didn't think you Slytherins had it in you."

"If that's what it takes to get you people moving, then I'll do it," he said, poking her in the side. "But you look like you're feeling better."

"I am. Thank you," she said, leaning forward to hug him. "That might have been just what I needed."

Blaise breathed in deeply against her neck as his arms wound around her, pulling her close. He really was a good friend to her, better than most these days. Pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek, she pulled back then looked pointedly at the group. "Have that pep talk ready?"

He sighed heavily, but was smiling when he looked at them. "I'll see what I can do. Or _we_ will."

"Oh no, you're not bringing me into this!"

"You're my soul mate, Ginevra. If anyone can help me, you can."

"Don't think that's going to work on me."

"You're the one who wants to cheer up the masses, not me."

"Well you are simply rude."

"Ginny."

"Oh, fine. Fine, fine, fine. Let's go. If all else fails, we can distract them with embarrassing stories about my brothers."

"And Draco when he was younger."

"Oh? These I have to hear!"

* * *

><p>Ten minutes ago, when everyone else was figuring out where to convene for the night, Draco asked Hermione if he could walk her to the Room of Requirement where she would be aiding with the Transfer. They had been outside at the time, closer to the lake, so it had been a long walk back to the castle itself, then another good bit of time spent finding the room. In all of that time, neither had spoken to each other. It was none of the easy silence he once experienced with her, either. There was too much tension between them. He spent most of the time wanting to bolt. Time spent not thinking about his easiest escape was spent imagining what he could say to her, as well as trying to force the words out of his mouth. His lips felt as though they were stuck together while his tongue felt too heavy to even lift. Even his throat felt as though it were being constricted accompanied by an itchy feeling he wanted to cough out, but couldn't.<p>

He could have easily gone the entire time without saying anything at all, but he had to. Ginny was right, Hermione was in very bad shape. Only recently had he realized just _how_ bad it was. She did need him. If he had to keep quiet about certain things in order to maintain a good relationship with her, then he would. Ginny, Grace, and the others could all try forcing her to open up about what happened but Draco would just be there for her. He'd be her friend again. She needed that more than anything. Someone who wasn't giving up on her, who would stick by her even when she didn't want them to. He wouldn't pressure her because he knew what it was like to have someone forcing the truth out of you. It wasn't a nice feeling.

Somehow, trying to convey this was trickier than he thought. She already knew he wanted to work on the bond. He could apologize for what happened the other day to help ease that issue. In fact, Draco knew exactly what he needed to do. It was only the actual words that were hard to string together. That, and actually having the ability to speak them.

"H…Hermione?" he finally said. They were getting closer. He could feel himself running out of time.

"Mhm?"

"I just…wanted to say that I'm sorry," he said quickly.

"Oh? For what?" she asked dully.

"For upsetting you the other day," Draco replied. "I should have left it alone."

"Yes, you should have," she agreed.

Draco faltered, nodding jerkily. He deserved that. The subject was sensitive. He knew that, but he had persisted anyway. Because of Ginny. It wasn't as if she understood. He couldn't fault her for not knowing what it was like for them. She thought she knew what was best for them, but she was wrong. They just needed time to process it all on their own. The guilt gnawed at him. The suffocation was returning, causing him to lick his lips then cough as he struggled to find his voice again.

"I'm sorry, too," she whispered.

"Why? I mean, for what?" he asked confusedly.

"For…Well…" she said, finding she had the same trouble with words as him. Anxiously, he waited for her to speak, wanting nothing more than to hurry her along. Mostly so he could reassure her that nothing was wrong. What on earth did she have to be sorry for? "The…the baby," she sobbed.

"What? No, Hermione! That wasn't your fault!" he said quickly as tears began to stream down her face.

"You don't…you don't understand," she gasped. "Oh my God, this is all my fault. Shite."

"No. No, no, no. It's not," he said desperately as her arms wound tightly around herself. "C'mere." He extended his arms to her, only to have her shake her head.

"I've got to go," she said, wiping the wetness from her face harshly.

"Wait. You can't help them when you're like this," he said, moving closer to her. He didn't like crying girls or comforting people, but she really needed it. She seemed to think that losing the baby was her fault. How could she even think that? Hermione was probably the last person to blame for what had happened!

"Go away," she snapped. "I'm fine. Just…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything," he said as she began to walk swiftly down the halls. "Come back!"

He picked up his own pace to follow her but, sensing this, she began to run. In response, he wanted to run after her, but slowed down instead. Draco had promised himself he wouldn't push. She was used to hiding by now. Let her distract herself with the Transfer. Somehow Draco would make her understand that she had done nothing wrong, that he cared about her, and that they would be okay.

For now, he stopped in the middle of the corridor, watching as she halted, grabbed a door handle, slung the door open then disappeared inside, the door slamming shut with a loud bang.

* * *

><p>The Room of Requirement had turned itself into a nice replica of one of the nice, expensive private rooms at St. Mungo's. There were two twin beds not even three feet apart, each with their own hangings around them. One was Gryffindor red with a golden lion while the one beside it was pale blue with silver and black floral patterns. They had been used when Harry and Daphne had changed into their gowns. His was the plain white St. Mungo's normally used while she had experimented by charming hers various colors, finally settling on dark pink with intricate maroon designs in it with matching maroon fur along the v-neck she had given it.<p>

There was a long table a few feet in front of their beds with various instruments and potions that Cedric was going over, mumbling to himself, making sure he had everything. Off against one wall was a large cabinet with every potion, book, or tool they could possibly need for the Transfer or if they needed to fix something that went wrong. Beside it was a rack holdinging the latest copies of every newspaper and magazine in Wizarding Britain. There was also every maternity magazine or pregnancy book that were ever printed in English, French, and Russian, as Daphne could read those languages.

On the other side of the room was a large fireplace with a working Floo. Around it were comfortable chairs and sofas, a huge fur rug, and a long table. Morag and Mafalda had pulled their chairs closer to the table while they read the same book, jotting down notes as they discussed their own theories about this Transfer, sometimes veering off to discuss other medical practices. Hermione sat on her own as far away from everyone as she could be. Lying on a long white couch, she had a book open to a section about Transfers propped up on her stomach while she read it for the hundredth time.

"These Muggles have the right idea with this caesarean section business," Daphne said, flipping through the pages of _Pregnancy & Birth_. "If we can do this whole Transfer thing with babies, why not just take them out that way? And why haven't we developed pain potions that wouldn't be harmful during childbirth? They have something for that, these Muggles!"

"A few people have tried, but it was never given much thought," Cedric explained. "Before the Muggles invented the epidural they experimented with it a bit. Everything they developed was either too potent or it just didn't work. Then, when Muggles made progress where we failed, a few well-known names among the aristocratic purebloods made statements about how this was further proof of our superiority, that witches were unafraid of labor pains, wouldn't lower themselves to that sort of weakness, how our children were born better off being unpolluted by medication. This was a time when blood purity was more popular than it is now. People took their words to heart and stopped looking for the fix. Only recently have Potion Masters in the medical research departments begun looking into the project again."

"Oh, wow," Daphne said, rolling her eyes. "That's silly. Why put up with pain if you don't _have_ to? That doesn't make you stronger, it just makes you stupid."

Cedric chuckled as he shrugged. "They don't see it that way."

"I suppose not or they wouldn't be doing it," she huffed. "You think anyone would be willing to try this caesarean section thing? I'd like to do it. You don't mind, do you, Harry?"

"Erm. I guess not," he said. The Gryffindor didn't really know what it was, to be perfectly honest, but with her earlier statements referring to the Transfer, he figured it would be relatively safe. She probably wouldn't have suggested it otherwise.

"Good, good," she said happily. "Now, how was last night?"

Harry blushed, though he did his best not to look embarrassed by the question. "It was alright."

"Just alright? You were limping this morning!"

Even Cedric was blushing now. No offense to them, but the last thing he wanted to hear about was someone else's sex life! Least of all, having to hear about how Snape was in the bedroom. It was nothing new, however. The whole group liked to badger Harry about shagging Snape every day after they did it. Lucky for him, Harry never really shared too much with them. Unfortunately, everything he said was still more than he ever wanted to know.

"Yeah, well, you say that every time."

"Not _every _time. But you do limp every time he tops."

"How do you know when he tops? He could top all the time. Maybe he bottoms all the time."

"Oh, I doubt that. You probably take turns. As it is, today was worse than usual. You could barely walk. I thought you were going to cry when you had to sit in Transfiguration."

"You try getting fucked in the arse, Daphne."

"I did once. Didn't like it very much."

He _really_ didn't need to hear that.

"Was he extra rough or something?" she asked.

"No, not really. We did it a lot, though," Harry muttered.

"Oooh, really? How many times?"

"Err…I didn't really count."

"Oh, shite. If you can't even give me a number that has to be a lot! Did he need to take a potion or something? I bet he did."

"I dunno. Wasn't paying much attention. Just read your magazine, I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine, fine," she said, resuming her reading. Harry went to frowning as he stared blankly at a wall. Cedric might have been concerned if his head wasn't too full of this procedure. Several minutes passed in silence, only the quiet conversation of Morag and Mafalda being heard now and then.

"Are you nervous?" Daphne asked, setting aside her magazine.

"Very," Harry confessed, resting his hand over his stomach. He tore his eyes away from the ornate wallpaper to look at his friend.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," she said with a smile. "Relax. Read about all of the gross stuff I'm going to have to put up with for you." She laughed as she tossed him a magazine.

"I've read up plenty on it, thanks," he said with a smile, setting it aside. "You really don't mind doing this?"

"Absolutely positive that I would love to do this for you," she assured him. "I'm not even stressing. See? I gave myself a nice little makeover. I'm making decisions about the birthing process. I've a very positive outlook on things. And so should you. It'll be a piece of cake."

Cedric was tempted to laugh, to point out how crazy they all were for doing this. It took him a moment to realize that she was only trying to calm Harry down. The poor kid had been through so much already, not to mention was taking a big risk with this. He needed all of the reassurances he could get. Cedric was pretty sure he needed some of that positivity himself. How could he do this if he didn't even think he could? Taking a deep breath, he mentally told himself that everything would be fine as he sniffed the anesthetic he would soon be giving them, making sure it was still good.

"Cake sounds good right now," Harry muttered.

Daphne laughed. "Dear God, cravings. I'm looking forward to those! What sort of cake?"

"Is there such thing as mango cake? Because that sounds wonderful."

She giggled. "I'm sure there is. Wonder if…"

A small, circular table appeared between their beds, a plate sitting on top of it holding a big slice of a pale orange cake with lemon frosting.

"Eat up while you can, preggo," Daphne giggled. "Tonight's your last chance to have an excuse to eat weird things."

"Err…You probably shouldn't eat it. You can't have anything in your system before…Well, there is a potion that would take care of that. Eat fast, though. We should probably get started soon," Cedric said, glancing at the clock on the wall.

Grabbing the plate, Harry quickly shoveled the dessert into his mouth while Daphne took amusement in her friend. Meanwhile, Cedric went over to the girls to quickly explain what he was going to have to do. The time the four stood to walk over to their patients, Harry was just swallowing the last bite.

"Here, take this first. It'll clean out your system. You'll have to take the second potion quickly after," he said, handing them each two phials. Each swallowed the pale yellow potion first, then the dark green one while Cedric grabbed the dark blue anesthetic. Without a word, they drank that one, as well. They remained awake long enough to hand the empty phials back to Cedric then fell limp only seconds later.

"You know what to do?" Cedric asked the others. "Prep-wise, I mean?"

"Sure," Morag replied, grabbing a small jar of off-white cream. Motioning with her head towards the patients, Mafalda followed her. The younger witch lifted their gowns up over their stomachs while Morag dipped her fingers into the cream, rubbing it thoroughly over the skin of their abdomens. When she was done, the area was shiny, wet, and an angry pink. While they did this, Cedric was digging through his own pockets until he produced a phial of opaque sea green potion. Hermione eyed this uncertainly.

"The wrackspurt solution Luna mentioned?" she guessed.

"Yes. I looked at the instructions. It isn't dangerous or anything. Figured if there's even a chance it'll help, why not," he said with a shrug, downing it quickly.

Hermione just shook her head, mouthing a great number of rude things about Luna Lovegood.

Morag set the jar back on the table then grabbing a thin metal instrument and a dark orange potion. Dipping the end of the thin tool into the potion, she carefully drew straight lines in the pink areas, following the diagram shown in the book. Cedric followed behind her watching, impressed with how neat she worked, each line the correct length, covering the correct section.

"Good job," he said.

"Is it true that this helps the cutting spell take better?" Morag asked curiously, returning the items to the table.

"Yes," Cedric said. "No cutting spell is very easy to navigate. Used to be you had to hold your wand perfectly, had to be careful not to put too much force behind the spell, or you could hurt someone. It was more difficult than using a knife. The solution, however, gives the spell something to hit and follow. You can put more focus on cutting too deep rather than having to do that as well as keep everything steady. Especially with things like this when the cut itself is very specific as well as crucial."

"Ah," she said, standing back with the others to watch as Cedric drew his wand.

"Hermione, come stand by Harry. I'll need you to help me keep an eye on things while I'm working," he explained. "Morag and Mafalda, keep by Daphne."

The girls all moved into position. Mafalda frowned at her fellow Slytherin, lying unconscious beside her. "You did scan her beforehand, right?"

"Yes, she's healthy. Her body seems able enough for this," Cedric assured her. "Does everyone know where the emergency potions are located?"

"Yes," they all replied.

"Does everyone know who to Floo, and in what order, if things go wrong?"

"Yes."

"Good," he said, taking a deep breath. Turning around, he looked to the clock again. Enough time had passed for all of the potions to have taken effect. The girls looked as ready as they would ever be. He had already gone over everything multiple times. He knew this procedure, at least in theory, like the back of his hand. But, in actual practice, this was terrifying. While he had aided in magical surgeries while in training at St. Mungo's, he had never done something like this on his own. His only help had far less medical knowledge than he did. If something went wrong, they would all be in deep trouble.

Why in the world had he agreed to this?

Looking at Harry, he straightened himself up. Because Harry had a point. The children would probably be safer with someone else. Was it worth it, though, if the procedure risked more lives than just the children?

Harry and Daphne were both seventeen, though. They were both legal adults, old enough to make their own decisions. They both wanted this. Both knew the risk yet had agreed.

Before he could chicken out, he pressed the tip of is wand to the top of the line on Harry's body, quietly uttering the incision spell. Dots of red slowly appeared in the slickness of the cream, eventually forming a long red line of blood that slid down his body. The grip on his wand faltered momentarily as he neared Harry. The first stage was a relatively quick process. In only two minutes, with only a small handful of whispered spells, his flesh was pulled back enough for Cedric to look into, the womb was cut, quickly placed in a protective yellow orb, then lifted from his body, placed into Hermione's hands. The witch looked sick as she gaped at the magical orb in her hands, holding it as far from her body as she could manage as Cedric sealed the cut on Harry's body. The orb, only designed to last no more than ten minutes, had him hurrying. Walking around to the other side of the bed where she stood, he cast a few spells to run necessary tests. The fetuses were slightly disturbed within the womb, but were otherwise unharmed.

"Good," he whispered, carefully lifting the orb from Hermione's hands with his wand. "Grab the brown cream from the table. Rub it in, gently, over the cut."

Nodding, Hermione hurried to the table while Cedric hurried over to Daphne's bed. "Morag," he said, trusting the older witch a bit more with the precious material. Not looking nearly as disturbed as Hermione had, she extended her hands to take the orb while Cedric repeated the spells necessary to open Daphne's body, readying it to receive its new visitors. He felt rushed the whole time, half expecting the magical bubble to pop, leaving the womb to jump out of Morag's hands and land on the floor. Being as Daphne was where the children were to be going, as well as the fact that he didn't want to hurt her, he probably could have dedicated more time and attention to what he was doing. Every time he finished something he felt as though he could have done it better, but could not risk going back to redo it. He could only afford to study it for a few seconds. Everything _seemed_ fine. He dared to give himself a few extra moments the time he deemed her ready. Nodding to himself, he levitated the orb from Morag's hands, guiding it inside of Daphne. A minute later, he was able to remove the orb, examining his work a bit more thoroughly now. The womb was attached. Nothing else inside of her body seemed disturbed. Feeling only slightly more confident, he closed her up. Hermione walked over when she heard the familiar spell, immediately repeating the process of smearing the brown cream along the cut, watching the skin smooth over, looking as though nothing had ever happened to the area.

"Thank Merlin," Cedric sighed. Leaning back against the table he shut his eyes, leaning his head back, pressing the palms of his hands into his eyelids.

"We're done, but there's still a chance that her body rejects the womb and/or the babies, correct?" Hermione asked.

"Correct," he said though he really did not want to consider the possibility. Once his nerves began to subside, he stood up to run a few more tests on Daphne then on the fetuses. There was something strange about the results, he thought, but couldn't pinpoint it at first. Troubled, he recast the spells for the tests, examining them more closely. Then, his eyes grew wide. "Shite!" he exclaimed. Without another word he turned, then ran for the cabinet that held all of the other potions. The three girls watched in confused horror as he ransacked the shelves, then looked to Daphne, wondering what on earth was happening. She looked so peaceful. What could be wrong?

Hermione spoke first, voice trembling. "C-Cedric?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Woo-hoo! Such excitement!

Last chapter got more reviews than we've been getting! Over 30 reviews for the first time in forever! Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to review the story! Nocturnal Rose, mayajane, reader-anonymous-writer, sev's-sexy-mistress, Nightcurse, hentai18ancilla, AlmondWithUnicornHair, Tokugawa Blitzer, nekoto2panda, SinfulMind, mauralee88, French Pixie, Conpeki, atymer, xXxElectraxXx, Kashi-Cookie-Monster, Draechaeli, K4T13, ieatmyfeelings, and many guests! You guys are amazing and I love you! Cookies for all!

Also thanks so much to my beta Dani for fixing up this and every other chapter for me!

Sadly I had to cut some things from the second scene, but you can read the "MA" version on aff and hpfandom.

Don't forget you can like me on FB for updates about my stories (among other things)!


	36. Chapter 35

**CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE**

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><p>Harry didn't want to wake up. He felt too warm and comfortable where he was. Not that he could even get up if he tried. Everything from his eyelids to his arms felt far too heavy. But that almost made it worse. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fully go back to sleep. Groaning quietly, he managed to shift somewhat in bed, but had no energy to do more.<p>

There was movement in the room, something he could hear. Now and then quiet voices that he wasn't in the mood to strain to hear would float into his awareness. After about ten minutes, just as he felt like he might fall back asleep, his mouth was opened, a potion emptied into it, and there were hands on his body refusing to let him rest.

"He's waking up now," said Madam Pomfrey. "I have a meeting with the healers from St. Mungo's in ten minutes. Mr. Diggory should be capable of looking after him. Should I be needed for any reason, do _not_ hesitate to interrupt. Mr. Longbottom, send word to the headmaster that Mr. Potter will rouse soon. I'm afraid I simply don't have the time. Why in the world they wish to be such a bother when I have patients to care for…"

The matron fell into unintelligible muttering as the bed dipped and a cool hand stroked his face.

"Miss Granger! Do not bother him so."

The hand quickly left him. "Sorry, madam. I'm just worried."

"I told you that you shouldn't be. He's well. But of course, young people never do learn how to listen, do they? Always know what's right and what's best, don't you?"

The sound of footsteps, each quieter than the last, then the door shutting declared Madam Pomfrey's exit.

"Right foul mood she's in," sighed Neville. "Better go fetch Professor Dumbledore. I'll walk slow, take a long route and all that. Take my time."

"Thanks," Hermione said quietly.

"You alright? Should I stay?"

"No. It's fine. Cedric's here. Besides, I…I want to tell Harry."

There was a pause before Neville agreed then walked away. By now, Harry was a bit more awake and not at all pleased by it. Taking in a deep breath then loudly, slowly letting it out, he caught Hermione's attention. Her hands were back on him as she gasped. "Harry?"

He couldn't answer her at first, though he moved around a bit.

"Are you alright, Harry?" she asked worriedly.

"Mmm 'ine," he grumbled.

"Oh thank Merlin," she sighed. "Cedric! He's awake."

"I'll be there in a moment!"

"'S going on?" Harry muttered, forcing his eyes to open. Almost instantly, he closed them. The room was far brighter than should be legal.

"Do you remember anything?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"Remember what?" he grunted, struggling to have his thoughts make sense. Something had happened before he went to sleep. Fuck. What was it? Important, it was. Snape? No, nothing to do with him. Daphne was there. Babies. "Shite. The Transfer. Mione, what…?"

"Oh, it was awful!" Hermione gasped. "We thought it was fine when nothing messed up during the Transfer, but not long after Daphne and the babies started having complications. Then you started going into shock. It was awful. We had to go through all of our emergency plans. Ended up contacting Madam Pomfrey in the end. She needed to call in healers from St. Mungo's. Don't worry, though, Dumbledore made certain they won't say a word about any of it. They tried to get Snape's help, but we convinced them that the healers would be fine. We begged them not to tell him anything. We weren't sure if you would want him to know or not, so we…on the safe side. Anyway. It was awful scary.

"Daphne almost died. Her heart stopped, twice! But they revived her. She almost lost the babies, but they managed to save them. Madam Pomfrey still thinks their chances aren't good. The Transfer left all three of them, as well as Daphne, in very fragile conditions. She and Cedric will do all they can to take care of them, and I'll help in any way that I can. So will Neville and all of the others! Daphne woke up four days ago but you've been out for a week. She's on bed rest, so she's still here. Everyone was surprised she woke up before you because she had been through a lot more, but your body has been healing slower. Honestly, I think it has to do with the bond and how weak it is." Her tone here was disapproving, but Harry was too distracted by other things to care. "It amazes me they managed to survive everything they have with how unstable the bond is between you and Professor Snape." Here Hermione turned thoughtful. Harry mused that she must be contemplating a new research topic, smiling wryly before more troublesome thoughts consumed him, making him frown and shift uncomfortably in bed.

"I don't understand how it's still so messed up," he muttered defensively. "We talk every day. Plus…you know."

"Yes. _I know_," Hermione said, shaking her head. "But it's more than forcing yourself to be near him. You're both so stubborn that you're refusing any real progression to your relationship. You're both so content in continuing to hate each other, regardless of the mindless activities you force yourselves into hoping it will appease the bond. It needs more than the two of you forcing civility. Yes, there has been some positive effect on it now that you're playing nice. But it isn't enough, Harry. As dangerous as it was, maybe the Transfer was the best idea. I don't see how you, or the children, would have survived the entire pregnancy with things as they are. Really…"

"That's enough," Harry growled. There was too much information still sinking in, too many emotions and thoughts whirling around inside of him, refusing to settle just yet. He had only just woke up, only to be berated by his best friend.

Hermione sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Harry. I was just so worried! It _is_ true, though, even if the timing wasn't perfect. You need to try harder and be careful until the bond is stronger." Her voice cracked here, tears filling her eyes. "You could have died! They could have died. I was so scared. Even after all of the treatments they…they still weren't…still _aren't_ sure how things will…and I just…oh Merlin." She laughed bitterly as she wiped the tears from her face.

Harry stared blankly across the room, feeling nothing at first as he let it all sink in. After a few minutes, though, it all crashed down on him. He choked back a sob, tears stinging his eyes as he looked around the room, seeking Daphne. "Wh-where is she?"

"Who? Oh, Daphne? She's just a few beds down," she replied, pointing to the occupied bed three down from where they sat. Draco, Blaise, and Astoria sat with her, all talking quietly while she slept. Only the fact that they looked relatively calm assured him that she had to be alright. It was hard to get a good look at her from where he was with the distance between them, but one thing he did notice was the bulge in her stomach. She had always been so skinny that just a few extra pounds was easily noticed. While on Harry, it had been easy to hide with his baggy clothes and how pregnancy suited his body. With Daphne it wouldn't be so easy. Luckily, with her it would be more acceptable, less shocking than for the world to learn their Chosen One was with child.

Taking a deep breath, he placed shaking hands on his own flat stomach. While no one else had noticed his changing figure, it was all he could think about. The only thought that ever crossed his mind was how wrong, unreal and impossible it was. Now it felt just as strange finding a flat stomach where his children used to be. Before he felt as though some monstrous beasts had taken residence in his body, while now he felt cold and empty. Why was it that being pregnant had been so awful, yet now that he wasn't it was just as bad? A different sort of wrong, but it felt just as awful.

Then came the reminder that they almost died. His children almost died because their stupid father couldn't stand being pregnant with them. There had been other reasons, sure. Very good reasons. They were in just as much, if not more, danger with him than being transferred to Daphne. The fact that he had even considered anything other than their wellbeing as a reason made him feel guilty. It didn't matter that no one knew anything about male pregnancy. It didn't matter that he was being targeted by some of the most powerful wizards in the world on the orders of the most notorious Dark Wizard since Grindlewald. The only thing he could remember now was how much he couldn't stand being pregnant and how eager he was to give the job to someone else. How selfish was he? His stomach twisted so tightly it hurt while his eyes darted around for a bucket, in case he actually did vomit.

Not only had the triplets been in danger, but Daphne had been at risk as well. They had all nearly died Hermione had said. They weren't even in the clear yet, if what she said were true. Daphne could still lose the babies. His children could _die_ because of him. He had known the Transfer was dangerous. How stupid could he have been? All he had been able to think about was how desperate he was for it to work that he put more faith in it than he should have.

"H…Harry?" Hermione whispered. "Are you okay? Do I need to ge…? Cedric! Can you come over here?!"

He barely heard her. The memories played themselves over and over again in his mind. Reading up on the Transfer, talking to the group about it, Daphne volunteering herself as a surrogate, laying in the Room of Requirement right before everything. His imagination filled in the blanks of the time he had been unconscious. Waving wands and vile potions, his friends in a panic because he and Daphne were convulsing, a team of healers rushing in around them, his friends crying and screaming…

"What's wrong?" Cedric asked breathlessly.

"Look at him! Oh Merlin, I must have upset him. I'm so sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to…I just…Oh, but someone had to tell him, didn't they? He had to know the truth. Even if it…but I was…I shouldn't have…"

"Calm down, Hermione," Cedric said calmly, touching Harry's arm while he ran his wand along his body. "He had to be told, yes. Maybe we should have left that to Madam Pomfrey or the headmaster, but he had to know. He probably would have gotten upset even if they had told them. It's a lot to take in so it's not your fault. Harry, can you hear me?"

"Huh?" Harry said after a moment, blinking.

Cedric smiled softly. "You alright?"

"I…I think. How are they?" Harry asked, glancing in Daphne's direction.

"Doing well. She's only sleeping. We had to give her a sleeping potion. Her sister keeps working her up and, in her current condition, we can't have her getting too excited, that's all," he explained. "But she and the babies are in good health. We just want to keep an eye on all of them for the time being. Everything's a bit sensitive after the Transfer."

"They're fine?" Harry asked doubtfully, still staring at the bed.

Cedric nodded patiently. "Yes. They are. You have very strong children; I want you to know that. Consider who their parents are, alright? You and…you know…are very powerful, stubborn, strong men. They take after you both in that manner. Think about all they've survived already. They'll be fine."

Cedric was just trying to make him feel better. Or was he? Could it be true? Was there a chance that things could really work out? Harry wanted to beg him not to get his hopes up, but found the words stuck in his throat.

The children had survived the attack on Hogsmeade, despite how weak his and Snape's bond had been at the time. It had been worse than it was now! Then he had been attacked before he had even found out he was pregnant. Harry, himself, had survived the Killing Curse as a baby while Snape managed to keep up his role as a double agent for years. Maybe Cedric did have a point. That didn't make his children invincible but, maybe, they had a better chance than the average wizard. Maybe they were special and maybe that would keep them alive.

At some point during his ponderings, Cedric walked away leaving him alone with Hermione, who also appeared to be lost in thought. There was something about the way she looked, the sadness and fear still in her eyes, that made him feel guilty. He wasn't sure why he felt that way, at first, until he remembered what had happened to her. Before he could stop himself, he muttered, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Hermione asked, blinking in surprise.

Still too caught up in his head, he didn't think much about the effect his words would have. "Well…You lost your baby…and all of this…" he waved dramatically, wishing he had the words to explain what was going through his mind. Hermione's baby had died, yet she had gone through so much trouble to help him with his. His triplets were alive and well, despite all of the danger they had faced within the womb so far. Now she was here, trying to comfort him, making sure he was okay when nothing bad had _really_ happened. The triplets hadn't been seriously injured. While they had been at risk, at least they were okay for now. And, with Cedric's words, maybe they _would_ be fine. Yet Hermione, who hadn't faced as much as Harry had, who hadn't been the biggest target of the enemy, had lost her baby. It wasn't fair. She had probably never thought of how horrible it was to be pregnant or wished her son had never existed. Draco had never hated his son as much as Snape hated theirs. The situation had still been strange, but at least Hermione's son had been more wanted. Now she had to sit here and listen to their relief over the Transfer's success when she had already suffered so much from her miscarriage. It wasn't as though she had recovered from it yet. Did women really ever fully recover from losing a baby? Now that Harry had faced the fear of losing his, he couldn't imagine what it would be like to actually suffer through something like that.

"Oh," Hermione said, paling.

He shouldn't have brought it up. She spent so much time trying to forget, distracting herself from what had happened, never truly dealing with it, that the thought had probably never crossed her mind! Now he had gone and upset her. "I shouldn't've…Only…Well, I…" Not sure where he was going with it, he finally gave up, shrugging apologetically.

"It's…fine," she said lamely, staring at the wall across from her. "I…I better go. I'll see you later, Harry."

"'Mione!" Harry called out as she quickly walked out of the infirmary. "Bloody hell."

* * *

><p>When Ginny entered the infirmary, Blaise was alone at Daphne's side. She smiled up at him, changing direction when he beckoned her forward. Harry had been the reason she was up here but, one glance at his bed, told her he was gone. Smile fading into a frown, she walked towards Blaise. Neville had mentioned that Harry had woken up but, surely, he wasn't well enough to <em>leave<em>.

"Granger got upset by something, so Potter decided to follow her. Pomfrey's a wreck trying to find him. Diggory got it bad since he was supposed to keep an eye on him," Blaise explained as Ginny neared him.

"Great," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "I'm amazed he was able to move at all. Cedric's been saying how weak he is, that it would be a while before he was good to go."

"Oh, he didn't have an easy time of it," Blaise assured her. "He fell a lot getting to the door, so Draco and Astoria went to help him along. Diggory's out looking for him too, so he'll be fine."

"He better be," Ginny muttered, glancing worriedly at the door. Harry was right stubborn, so it didn't surprise her the lengths he would go to when he was so determined. As she and his other friends had been in a panic since learning of the problems the Transfer caused, she had right to be concerned about him. She hadn't been here long, but already felt her body turning to face the door, wondering if it would be useful to try finding him.

"He's in good hands. Sit," Blaise said, motioning to the empty chairs on either side of him. "We have a few things to discuss, do we not?"

Cracking a smile, she slowly nodded then sat to his left. Glancing at Daphne's sleeping form, she had to ask. "Do you love her?"

Blaise raised an eyebrow, expression schooled, though she could see the surprise in his dark eyes. "That wasn't what I meant."

"I know what you meant," she said with a smile. "But that doesn't answer my question."

The Slytherin was pretty with porcelain skin, bright eyes, caramel colored hair, and a slender form. Most people didn't think she was as beautiful as her younger sister, but Ginny disagreed. She didn't think herself vain but, now and then, since knowing Daphne, she couldn't help but wished she looked as she did. Blaise was always close with her, as well. While Ginny might have been Blaise's soul mate, and Charlie being Daphne's, it didn't mean they were meant to fall in love. There was always this closeness between Blaise and Daphne that, now that she thought about it, she envied. He had been at her side since she had been brought to the hospital wing, every moment he could, risking skipping classes here and there, sometimes meals.

Would he have done the same for her?

"I love her, yes," Blaise sighed. "But not the way you think."

"Oh?" she asked, not daring to let herself feel relieved just yet. It was for Charlie's sake, surely. He hadn't been around his soul mate much, but Ginny could tell he was smitten with her.

"She's been my best friend since childhood, Ginny. Of course I love her," Blaise said. "Now, more importantly, we should discuss this bond."

"What is there to discuss?"

"When we want to do it. We never got that far when you agreed to it. Remember?"

"Oh," she sighed, rubbing her temples. "Right. Erm. Soon, maybe? Who would do it? We need someone who won't mind my parents disagreeing with it."

"Maybe Snape will," Blaise said with a grin. "If we can get Harry to offer him a blowjob or something for it."

"Blaise!" Ginny gasped, punching his arm hard.

"Ow! I'm just saying…Not that he would mind. Though he probably does that plenty, anyway, so maybe it's not the best bribe," Blaise said thoughtfully.

"You are disgusting," she laughed. "Be serious."

"Fine, fine," he said. "You think Granger could?"

"I dunno, maybe. She's really smart, but doesn't it take a lot to officiate bonds? Could she legally do it?"

"Yes," Blaise said with a grin. "The same way we can legally do it _without_ the okay from your parents. Soul Bonds are so old, so unheard of, there aren't really any laws concerning it. Since there are some bonds that can be done at ages under seventeen, they couldn't categorize _all bonds_ in particular laws, so they have to create specific rules for each bond. As most of the world considers soul mates and bonding to be myths, there's nothing they can really do. The only thing we need is to have an officiate who knows what he or she is doing and pull it off without screwing it up. Hermione is young, yes, but she's more intelligent and powerful than many adult wizards. I'm confident she could. If she can't, or won't, however, it shouldn't be too difficult to find someone to step in for us."

"Alright," Ginny said with a slow nod, for the first time in a week letting herself think about what she had agreed to. "We should have a few people at the bonding to keep an eye on things. You remember how things happened for Harry and Snape, then for Hermione and Draco."

"But we don't have the problems they had," Blaise reminded her, something flashing in his dark eyes that made her stomach flutter, pressing her thighs tightly together.

"Can't be too careful," Ginny said stiffly.

"You're _bonding_?"

Ginny jumped, turning to look at her boyfriend, who looked furious. Blaise only settled back in his chair, regarding Draco with a cool look.

"You startled me. I didn't see you come in," Ginny said, relaxing. "And yes, we are."

Draco wasn't looking at her. His silver eyes were narrowed at Blaise, such anger in the gaze she had never seen from him before. Ginny frowned.

"No one thought to tell me, then? Or was it going to be a surprise after you'd already done it? Were you going to tell me at all?" he demanded.

"I didn't tell you already?" Ginny asked confusedly.

"No, you didn't," he snapped.

"I'm sorry," she replied carefully, but he still didn't spare her a glance. This was irritating. "Look, I thought you knew. We've all had a fair bit on our minds this past week, yeah?" When she didn't get an answer, she glared and ploughed on. "We decided on this right before the Transfer, Draco, then everything happened. I've been a bit preoccupied, so you'll have to forgive me that _something_ slipped my mind when everyone's been upset. Harry's one of my best friends." Her voice cracked, eyes stinging as she fell onto the sore subject. "They almost died, Draco! Then Harry didn't wake up, even after Daphne did. We didn't know what was going to happen to him!"

Both wizards moved closer to her. Draco knelt down beside her while Blaise scooted his chair nearer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as the blond took her hand.

"They said he would be fine, but how could we know that? He was out for a week. So I didn't tell you, but I thought I had. That doesn't mean you can waltz in and be a great prat about it, Draco!" Ginny snapped, blushing as she wiped her eyes.

"I wasn't mad at you, Gin," Draco assured her. "It was him."

"_What_?"

"He's trying to take you away from me! Can't you see that?"

Silence followed the statement as the redhead gaped at him, Blaise feigning a look of innocent confusion.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!"

"Ginevra Weasley!" scolded Madam Pomfrey from a nearby bed. "I must ask that you…"

"Yeah, I know," Ginny growled, grabbing Draco's arm and pulling him out of the room. He stumbled after her until she came to a stop midway down the corridor.

"Geez, Gin…"

"Don't you dare!" she growled. "Why? Why on earth do you have to act like such a paranoid git?"

"I'm not paranoid! He wants you, Ginny! Why are _you_ being so blind?"

"You…you! Ugh, I can't even…What's the matter with you, huh? Blaise is your best friend! He also just so happens to be my soul mate. Do you see me running around all upset over you being bonded to Hermione? No!"

"We weren't dating when I bonded with her!" Draco snapped.

"But what does it matter?" she cried. "If being bound to Hermione doesn't interfere with our relationship, then why would bonding with Blaise do that?"

"Because I don't have feelings for her and she doesn't for me!"

"You slept with her! At least I haven't gone and shagged Blaise, have I? The way I see it, I have more to worry about than _you_ do. Okay? Now drop it. We're _going_ to bond because we want to help the war effort. Blaise and I, unlike most of you, actually care about being useful and won't let _anything_ get in the way of it! We'll nurture our bond, as we should, without resorting to sex or anything like that! Do you want to know why?"

"Why?"

"I care about you! So does Blaise. In fact, he's been your friend longer than I've been around. For you to antagonize him like this is uncalled for, immature, and unfair to Blaise. Do me a favor and stop assuming things. I would really like to have your blessing in this, but I promise it's not going to change my mind one way or the other."

"You don't know him like I do, Ginny," Draco said quietly.

"Maybe not," she snapped. "What I do know is that even if he _did _have different intentions, doesn't mean I would go along with it. I have you, Draco, and I'm not the cheating type. The fact that _you_ don't know that really worries me."

Draco sighed heavily, cursing himself under his breath as Ginny stalked off. "Wait, Ginny!"

"Leave me alone, Draco!"

"I see that went well," a familiar voice said quietly from behind him.

Draco spun around to glare at Blaise. "I know what you're doing."

Blaise only smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you?"

With that he pushed back Draco, following after Ginny. Draco clenched his fists, tempted to follow them. Unwilling to upset Ginny further, he struggled to convince his body to turn around to head back to the infirmary. Might as well sit with Daphne until she woke up or until Potter had the sense to return.

* * *

><p>"Draco apparently lost Harry," sighed Neville as he rejoined his boyfriend by the statue of Wilke the Wise. When they had split up to go in search of Harry and Hermione, they agreed to meet back here when they were done.<p>

Cedric frowned, extending his hand to the blond, linking fingers as he pulled him closer. "How did he lose him? Harry's not exactly in the best condition right now."

"Not sure. He wouldn't say," Neville shrugged. "He might've seen Ginny or something, though."

"Nice," snorted Cedric. "Where could he have gone? He only woke up a few hours ago. He's weak right now. They said he couldn't even make it out of the infirmary on his own."

"I know," Neville said. "D'you want to try again?"

"Might as well. Poppy will have my head if we can't get him back soon."

Ten minutes later and one floor down, they heard before they saw the missing pair. Heavy panting, a squeak, and the thud of a body against stone. Neville and Cedric glanced at each other then walked faster towards the noise. Their suspicions were confirmed when they heard Hermione's voice say, "Harry! You should never have left, you prat!"

"You shouldn't have run off," Harry joked breathlessly.

Around the corner they found Harry sitting on the floor, back against the wall, sucking in deep breaths exhaustedly. Hermione was kneeling on the floor beside him, eyes puffy and red, face wet from tears that had been wiped hastily. She noticed them almost immediately, opening her mouth to greet them, but Harry's voice stopped her.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I needed to make sure you were okay. It's been hard for you, I get that. You were upset, I couldn't just…Oh fuck," Harry hissed, cringing, reaching up to grab his head. "Dizzy."

"Let's get you back, Harry," Neville said, coming up to them.

"Where you'll stay," Cedric said firmly. "Madam Pomfrey's not happy with you."

"I bet," Harry laughed. "I was fine. I thought I was anyway."

"Right," Neville rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to be sorry, Harry," Hermione said suddenly.

Neville and Cedric stopped in their motion to grab Harry, turning uncertainly to the witch. She glanced at them, then her friend hesitantly. "I have to tell you something." Tears filled her dark eyes again, voice cracking. "Please…_please_…please don't hate me."

"Couldn't hate you, 'Mione," Harry assured her.

"D'you want us…?" Neville began, motioning that he and Cedric could leave.

Hermione shook her head then took a deep breath. "I really messed up. You can't tell anyone."

"Okay?"

"Sure," Cedric said.

"You know we won't," Neville promised.

It took her a moment, still breathing evenly, keeping herself calm. When she moved her lips, they heard sound, but it was too quiet to decipher her words. Immediately after, she choked back a sob, letting her head drop into her hands. Harry launched himself forward to hold her, but wasn't steady enough to manage a proper hug. Hermione fell onto her side with an "ummph!" then she giggled, sniffing, as she struggled to right them. Cedric leaned down to help Harry while Neville kneeled beside Hermione to aid her.

"We…erm…I don't think we all got that, Hermione," Neville said gently.

Horrified, Hermione looked at the others for confirmation who both nodded awkwardly. "God," Hermione muttered, nervously tugging at her thick hair. "It's just…I didn't…I didn't _really_…" Looking furious with herself, she shook her head, struggling with her thoughts. The wizards all waited patiently for her, sharing questioning glances until she finally whispered, "I didn't _actually_ lose the baby."

With her eyes on the floor, three pairs of eyes stared at her blankly. She _didn't_ lose the baby? Confused, Neville's hazel eyes strayed to her flat stomach. She hadn't had an abortion, had she? Not after her vocal opinion about it when they thought Harry was considering the same thing. As it had been after her supposed miscarriage, perhaps she regretted the decision.

"What do you mean? I thought…but…" Harry finally sputtered.

"Hermione, what happened?" Cedric asked calmly.

Neville wanted to ask if she had an abortion or not, but decided it might be a tad insensitive, and on the off chance she hadn't, it would be best to let her answer on her own.

"I…I…" she began. Tears leaked from her eyes rapidly. "I didn't mean to do it! It's just…After the battle…Madam Pomfrey said I almost lost the baby! Okay? She said I came really close to having a miscarriage, that I'd have to be very careful and I'd probably have to be on bed rest before long. I was so scared I was going to lose him anyway. I just kept thinking of how I almost _did_ lose him. So…so then I was walking back to the Tower and I saw Draco with Ginny. I was really angry, upset…Just…Miserable. And terrified. I don't know why I did it! I just…I told him I lost the baby. I don't know why I didn't, I really don't! It just…it just came out and…and I know it's terrible! It's awful! How could I…? But I did. And I…Well, how do you tell the truth after something like that?"

She looked as though she would keep rambling, so Harry reached out to touch her arm which brought her to a halt, eyes wide, body constantly twitching like a terrified baby bird. Shooting a helpless look to her friends, she pressed her lips closed tightly, wringing her hands in her lap.

"Err…You don't really look…" Harry said, motioning to her thin figure.

"What? Oh," she said, frowning bitterly at her stomach. "Remember that book I had on concealing pregnancy? I put it to good use."

"You know you can't hide this forever, don't you?" Neville asked gently.

"I can try," she replied, sniffing as she wiped her eyes. Her cheeks flamed as she confessed, "I haven't fully worked out all of the details. What if I go into labor in the middle of class? If I start having contractions, I can try to get out, claim I'm sick or something. As long as my water doesn't break in front of people, I can probably get away with it…"

Neville raised an eyebrow, glancing at the others. Harry looked horrified while Cedric nodded calmly.

"There…baby. There's gonna be a baby, y'know?" Neville pointed out confusedly.

"I'm giving him up for adoption," Hermione replied promptly, followed by a violent hiccup that jerked her whole body.

"You…Why?" Harry asked.

"I'm too young to be a mother," Hermione sighed, sitting back on her bum, folding her legs Indian style. "Don't get me wrong, I love him. Of course I do. Let's face it, though. I'm only eighteen. I still have to finish school, I have a career I want to start, there's this war…I don't have much more to give. Someone can do better by my son than I can."

"What about Malfoy?" Cedric asked. "He's the father."

"He never really wanted to be a father, did he?" she pointed out firmly, though her eyes betrayed her doubt. "Sure, he was upset when I said I lost him. Anyone would be upset. It was sad. There isn't a doubt in my mind that he was a little relieved by it. Neither of us are ready for this."

"Don't you think you should leave that decision to him?" Cedric asked.

Cringing, Hermione glared at the wall, mulling things over as she chewed on the inside of her mouth. Neville could only imagine how she was feeling or what was going through her mind. How could she stand giving up her son only to watch the father actually step up to the plate? What if she let Draco have a chance only for him to fail as a parent? What if Draco and Ginny's relationship thrived and she had to watch her best friend become a mother to her own son? It was selfish, sure, but he could understand how that might be hard for her.

"I…" she said, mouth ajar as she struggled to force out more words, before whimpering and shaking her head.

"It's…that's not fair to him, 'Mione," Neville said.

"I know," she whispered. "But I…You can't tell him. You swore you wouldn't…Please, don't. I don't know what to do but don't…I just…I'm so sorry. I made everyone worry about me and I just…"

"Even if you did lie, you were still suffering because of it. Of course we were worried. We still are," Cedric assured her. "What you're doing might not be right, but we care about you."

"Definitely," Harry said, nodding, though the action made him close his eyes, lean his head back against the wall, and take deep breaths.

"We should get you back to the hospital wing," Cedric frowned.

"Nah, I'm fine. 'Mione…"

"We can worry about me later," she said briskly, wiping her eyes again before sitting up straight.

"We need to help you," Harry argued.

"I don't need help. I've got this figured out," Hermione claimed.

Neville glanced uneasily at Cedric who met his eyes a second later. "You need to at least consider…"

"I'll consider it," she snapped. "Look, I know, it's wrong, okay? It's just…this is a lot to deal with. I've really messed up, and, quite frankly, there are more important things to worry about than Draco Malfoy knowing the truth. The baby's fine right now."

"But you did admit the pregnancy is a bit fragile," Cedric pointed out. "He should know…"

"If something _does _happen, then what good does knowing do?"

"He can help…" Neville said.

"Stop," she said loudly, glaring at him. "I'll handle…We can talk about this later. Right now, we need to get Harry back before he passes out. He should have never left in the first place."

"Oh, right," Cedric said, looking abashed.

"I'm fine," Harry argued obstinately.

Cedric chuckled. "C'mon. You won't be fine for long if you try hiding."

"Oh yeah," Harry said, paling when he realized that Madam Pomfrey was mad at him.

"Might as well get it over with," Neville reassured him, standing up then extending his hand to help Hermione up. Cedric held onto Harry, standing them both up. Hermione took his other side before Neville could, huffing at the concerned look he gave her.

"I'm not useless, Neville," she admonished.

"You can't be too careful," he said apologetically.

"If you put too much strain on yourself…" Cedric began.

"Fine, fine," she mumbled, mollified. Neville took over while Hermione stepped aside, hand stroking down her front gently.

Together, the group walked down the corridors. Harry, on weak, wobbly legs, slowed them down, but he was determined, struggling to move on his own the best he could. Cedric and Neville were on either side of him, holding his arms, offering their strength and support. For a few minutes, Hermione walked alongside them. Upon noticing how sad and lost in thought she was, Neville offered a supportive arm which she took with a grateful smile.

* * *

><p>"What do you <em>mean<em> you can't find him?" Severus demanded furiously.

Poppy stuck him with her most deadly glare, not fazing him as it might have the majority of the school. He met her glower with one of his own, tense silence between them until the mediwitch clucked, reaching out to take the tray of potions he had brought her. The infirmary would be more than stocked by now, considering he had been bringing in new potions everyday, his excuse for daily visits used mainly to check the condition of his soul mate. It was more for his own selfish reasons. Would it do well to have his bondmate die before their bond was in better condition? Everyone would take it to mean something else. Dumbledore seemed to see right through him, anyway, by that damnable twinkling and small smile that graced his wrinkled face after the first visit. The last thing he needed was for anyone else to get the wrong idea.

"Harry Potter is a stubborn, stubborn boy, Severus," she replied coldly. "I had a meeting with the healers from St. Mungo's, when I returned he was gone. Mr. Zabini said that Potter tried to follow after Miss Granger, but was too weak. Mr. Malfoy helped him out. Misters Diggory and Longbottom went out to find him when they realized. I'm just as upset as you, Severus, so please refrain from blaming me."

It was her responsibility to make sure the idiot was safe. Knowing how impossible Potter was, she should have taken extra precautions to be sure he couldn't do anything so rash and ignorant. Instead of voicing this, he gritted his teeth, turning to where Blaise was sitting by Daphne's bed, the two sharing a deep conversation. As he turned to approach the pair, the doors opened, revealing a familiar mess of black hair.

"Potter!" Severus and Poppy barked at the same time.

Supported by Diggory and Longbottom, Potter was pale, looking tired. While the others flinched at the tone, he did not, only glancing at them dully.

"You are in no condition to be up and about, Mr. Potter!" fussed Poppy, rushing to his side. At her insistence, the boys let him go, allowing her to lead him to his bed on his own.

"How you manage to survive breaking the rules that you do, Potter, is truly astounding," Severus said dryly, unable to help himself.

Poppy shot him a nasty look, but was too busy plucking phials of potions from the bedside table, making sure she had the right ones, to say anything. Longbottom and Diggory shook their heads, whispering to one another, while Granger grasped Potter's hand, watching him concerned. The boy, himself, was in bad shape, no doubt playing up on the concern and sympathy of those around him. He might have been paler than normal, but surely a notorious rule breaker such as he could fake those unfocused eyes and the believable tremble of his hands. How unsettled his stomach was, though a small bout of relief at finding him alive, was contributed to this bothersome bond. He held his anger and frustration to him desperately as his eyes narrowed furiously at the child.

The boy might have said something had Poppy not begun forcing potions down his throat. Several minutes later, she bustled over to Daphne's side to tend to her while Potter had regained enough strength to meet his stare. "What are you doing here?"

"I stock the infirmary with potions, being as I am the Potions Master," Severus retorted.

"Then stock away. Dunno why you have to sit around looking at me," Potter said, voice hoarse.

Damn it. "I was curious about the state of your condition in the aftermath of your tragic accident," he lied smoothly.

"I didn't think you cared," he snorted.

He was really losing touch if the boy was making so many good points. It was unwise to speak openly in front of so many people, though he did wonder if Potter had shared the truth with any of his moronic friends. If he had, though, surely the brats would have gone to someone. He would know about it by now.

"I assure you any interest I may have on the subject is not that of a personal or sentimental nature," he growled.

"'Course not," Potter mumbled. "The 'accident' didn't do anything, as I decided to get rid of them just before."

It was as if an incantation had been uttered, robbing him of his insides. Every thought, every feeling, his very soul had fled his body. Potter continued to glare stubbornly at him while Severus struggled to overcome the emptiness and coldness that disturbed him. The boy would never do such a thing, would he? No matter how much Severus had wanted it.

"You _what_?" he whispered dangerously, feeling slowly trickling back into him.

"Shouldn't you be celebrating right about now?" Potter demanded. "You won't have any more Potters to survive anytime soon."

"I am merely surprised you had the courage to do something so sensible," he snapped before he fully had his mind back. Today was not his day, for him to be making such a fool of himself, in front of Gryffindors, no less! Why was he so concerned, when this was exactly what he had wanted?

Internally, he struggled to pull himself together before he really screwed up. Granger appeared disgusted with his comment, which brought some comfort and strength back to him. He could have sworn he hear her mumble something sarcastically about how brave cold-blooded murder was, earning her a sharp look from her friend.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor, I think, as I'm certain no one else has had the mind to do so," Severus said before turning on his heel, sweeping out of the room.

The walk back to his dungeons flew by faster than usual. There was too much on his mind for him to notice his surroundings or the time passing by. Potter had actually _done_ it. Unless, of course, whatever accident had landed him in the infirmary had, in fact, caused him to miscarry. Why would he lie, then, when he had already been so adamant about _not_ doing so? What damage would the truth do? On the other hand, if he had been so against the idea of abortion, then why do it now?

_Why is it bothering you so much?_ A sly voice in his head demanded. _This was what you wanted all along_.

"It's not bothering me," he muttered to himself as he entered his rooms. "It doesn't make sense."

_Let it be. Don't complain when things actually go your way_.

Potter was right. He should be celebrating the news. There would be no babies with his nose or his blood, no assumption of obligation from anyone. With the fetuses out of the way, there was one tie broken between the boy and himself. The bond was bad enough to share without adding more. With no living proof of their liaisons, there was less of a chance of the truth coming out.

Severus poured himself a drink before pacing the floor.

He wasn't cut out for fatherhood, nor was Potter. One too damaged, one too young and too damaged. The triplets were better off dead. They were three less beings to worry about in this godforsaken world.

So why did it bother him so much? Something was nagging in his stomach, an unknown thought prodding the back of his mind. Maybe it was the fact that the decision was so uncharacteristic of the boy. That must be it. Something very wrong had to take place to bring him to such a conclusion.

What on earth _had_ the accident been anyway? Had it been an abortion gone wrong? Then why was Daphne hurt, too? It was no coincidence they ended up in the hospital wing at the same time. Even if Daphne had been involved in the abortion, how could she have gotten hurt?

Unless the magic of the fetuses had reached out in defense of themselves. Such occurrences were very uncommon, however. Very unlikely, particularly in their own weakened state, and that of their carriers. Potter _was_ a powerful wizard, as was Severus himself. Could there be a small possibility that, despite the circumstances, they, or one of them, had gained enough ability from the womb to attack another person? Even if they did, they couldn't be developed enough now to do so, could they?

More importantly, what _had_ kept Potter unconscious for so long? According to Poppy, Daphne had sustained more damage than him, yet she was recovering faster. More blame was placed upon the bond as well as their carelessness with it, but Severus didn't like to think so. All the same, he would have to consider Dumbledore's encouragement of warming up to the boy a bit more. Severus very well didn't want to see the boy die, regardless of his personal feelings for the brat.

_Yes, he had a Dark Lord to defeat, doesn't he?_ Demanded the amused voice in his head.

Severus drained his glass then refilled it.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Sorry it took so long, but I hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks to AlmondWithUnicornHair, Bloody dawn, hentai18ancilla, Tokugawa Blitzer, Guest, Clockpark, mauralee88, Nocturnal Rose, Gabrielle Rickman Snape, lalaland, Guest, Guest, sev's-sexy-mistress, xXxElectraxXx, E. Chickarita, Soundgarden9, atymer, ieatmyfeelings, YetAnotherJanewayFan, MagicalWinry, Paige Taylor, vampy-chan17, ZianaSue, and Mc3mnoch7 for reviewing! Thank you to everyone reading, favoriting, and following, as well!

Also a special thanks to Dani for betaing for me!

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